


Spaced Out

by StarryEyedSpaceGirl



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, Mystery, OC romance, Romance, Voyager AU, favs, love this crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25231609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryEyedSpaceGirl/pseuds/StarryEyedSpaceGirl
Summary: I wake up from a coma to find myself on board the Starship Voyager. The ship is in trouble with a field of strange anomalies, and I can't seem to get my facts straight. Is all this real, or is it just a drug induced fantasy?An OCxVoyager AU adventure/mystery with the beloved crew and the mischievous Q.(WARNING: I'm a shameless Janeway/Chakotay shipper, so beware!)
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway, OC/OC
Comments: 38
Kudos: 26





	1. Red Alert

It was the siren that woke me from the haze of sleep. Sharp, keening wails that kept time with my throbbing head.

I wanted to put my hands up to block the sound, but I couldn't gather enough energy to even twitch my fingers. In fact, my entire body from the neck down felt like dead weight. I opened my eyes, but I could only see half the world. It was blurry and moving so fast that I was forced to close them to keep from getting sick.

Eventually the wailing stopped, and I groaned as someone lifted my head off the floor, then dropped it back down into a slick puddle of something warm. It smelled peculiar, like metal and stale air.

"Injuries?"

"Head trauma, a laceration at... I stopped the bleeding but-"

A jolt rocked my body and I could feel my fingers for one glorious moment before the void returned.

"You did the right thing. Ensign..."

"The Captain... sent her a comm."

"...good."

I was laid on my back, and my head was gently placed on it's side. I coughed and tasted something sharp, like the tang of a copper penny. Suddenly it felt as if a weight had been set on my chest, and I struggled to catch my breath.

"She's lost her... functions!... We need to-"

There was a painful prick in my neck. The pounding in my head receded as I slowly drifted into the arms of sleep.

* * *

"She's coming around."

"At last."

My senses were assaulted with the smell of alcohol and refrigerated air as I took in a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes. It had to blink a few times before the faces hovering above my head began to swim into focus.

"How are you feeling?"

The man was stern faced and balding, his eyebrows drawn together into a deep frown. He was looking at something out of my line of sight.

The younger man standing next to him looked concerned.

"Where am I?" I croaked. There was something familiar about the two men, though I couldn't quite place why. My brain was a little foggy.

"You're in the infirmary ma'am," The younger man said. "You've been in a coma for days."

 _In a coma?_ I frowned at the thought. "Who are you?"

The older man was quick to reply. "I'm the Doctor, and this is my temporary assistant Mr. Kim. May I ask your name?"

"Donna Winters." I muttered and attempted to sit up. I was somehow prevented, and tried again without success.

"Please try not to struggle against the restraints. You've just been through a pretty traumatic ordeal. Your body needs time to recover."

The muddy images in my mind were beginning to clear up, but only slightly.

"If you're feeling a little disoriented, don't worry. It's customary for patients who undergo such delicate surgeries to experience some confusion upon awakening." He took a light and shined it into my face.

I squinted. "Surgery? I don't understand."

"You don't remember?"

"No..." There was something, some inkling of a bright light followed quickly by unconsciousness. "Was I hurt?"

"Badly."

I took a moment to take stock of my body. I could wiggle my toes, clench my fists, squirm inside my restraints. "Well I don't feel bad now."

"I am glad to hear it, but you were extremely close to death when you were beamed inside Sickbay. And lucky for you I'm a brilliant surgeon."

Mr…. Ensign Kim? Rolled his eyes.

_Engineering... beamed..._

Ensign Kim's attention was drawn across the room. "Doc."

The Doctor and Mr. Kim both disappeared from view. Once I was alone, I recognized the sound of other people in the room. There was a quiet buzz of conversation, and the gentle hum of machinery.

"Is she going to be okay Doctor?" The voice belonged to a child.

"Of course she is!" This voice who replied was cheerful. "I know your mother Naomi, and she's a fighter. Isn't she Doctor?"

"Neelix, I'm afraid this really isn't really the time for a friendly visit. As you can see I'm terribly busy at the moment."

_Neelix?_

"Well I just thought it would be nice for Naomi to see her mother. She was getting worried when we didn't get any updates."

"As I assured you during your last visit, your mother's injuries were relatively minor. If you have any questions feel free to ask Ensign Kim. He was taking care of her, while I have been dealing with my more seriously injured patients..."

"Ah yes, the mysterious stranger everyone's been talking about," Neelix's voice held immediate interest. "Well, uh, now that we've determined that Naomi's mother is going to be alright, may we...?"

"May you what? Talk to the patient? Absolutely not!" The Doctor sounded affronted. "We're under strict orders from Captain Janeway that no one may speak to our guest until..."

_Captain Janeway!_

I gasped as a thrill went down my spine. It just couldn't be!

_I'm hallucinating. I'm dreaming. I'm in a coma._

There could be no other reasons why I found myself strapped to a table, listening to crew members of the Starship Voyager have a conversation about me from across the room.

There was a beep on my monitor and The Doctor immediately reappeared. Ensign Kim arrived soon after. "Her heart rate has elevated. Is that a bad sign?"

"It's a sign of anxiety Mr. Kim, nothing more. You'd be pretty anxious yourself after waking up from a coma in an unfamiliar place."

The Doctor's smug grin was oddly comforting. "How did I get here?"

"We'd like to know the same thing. You were obviously in a critical condition before you appeared in Engineering."

My chest tightened painfully. "What was the damage?"

He folded his hands behind his back. "Guessing by the manner and extent of your injuries, my theory is that you were caught in an explosion. The left side of your head was badly damaged. Burst eardrum, damaged retina, and there was a laceration three inches long at the back of your skull. Your T1- T3 vertebrae were also cracked."

I blinked a few times, surprised to hear such gruesome details while I felt better than I had in my entire life.

"No need to scare her Doc," Ensign Kim said, exasperated. "She's gone through enough already."

I tried to raise a hand to feel the back of my head, forgetting that my arms were restrained. "If that's what happened then… How did you… how am I… why am I..."

"Not dead?" The Doctor nodded. "I'm glad you're asking such intelligent questions. It shows that your cognitive functions are operating correctly." He disappeared from my vision, leaving Mr. Kim in my line of sight. "I was able to repair most of the damage with Borg nano-probes."

"Right, nano-probes..." It was surreal, talking about fictional medical phenomenons with fictional characters. The Doctor was exactly like I imagined he would be in real life, and Harry seemed to be an exact replica of the kind, enthusiastic, and warmhearted Mr. Kim I'd come to know and love from the tv-series.

It just didn't make any sense.

_I must be in a coma._

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"More than 72 hours." Harry quickly volunteered.

72 hours of real time? Or coma time?

My heart was pounding madly in my chest when I felt a pinch in my left arm.

"Please don't excite yourself Donna."

I wasn't sure _'excited'_ was the word I'd use in this situation.

The Doctor reappeared with a tricorder, and I had to fight back a hysterical laugh as he began waving it up and down my body in smooth, practiced motions. "You have one of Voyager's crew members to thank for your full recovery. It was because of Seven's genetically modified state that I was able to synthesize and inject a sample of the nano-probes to repair your damaged systems. And it's a good thing too. It may very well have been the thing that saved your life."

"Seven's here too," I murmured absently. "That means I'm in season…. season 4, Season 5? Gosh, you guys have been through so much already."

The Doctor and Harry looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Is she going to be alright? She's not making a lot of sense."

"We need to give the nano-probes a little more time to work. I think it's time we call-"

"Captain Janeway?" I finished for him.

"Do you know the Captain?"

"I know almost everyone on this ship actually. There's Chakotay, B'Elanna, Tuvok, Tom... Doctor, you like to sing opera and Harry plays the clarinet."

Harry looked shocked. "How can she know that? Do Seven's nano-probes have the ability to transmit memories?"

"Well no, not to my knowledge. But I suppose it's possible. I'll need to talk to Seven to know for sure." The Doctor appeared fascinated by the idea. He started typing on a data pad. "Well Donna, I'm almost done with my examination then I will release you from your restraints... so long as you promise not to attack either me or Ensign Kim."

"I promise."

A few minutes of silence prevailed, during which The Doctor brought forth a number of strange and unfamiliar devices to poke and prod me with. I struggled with wanting to ask more questions, but I wasn't entirely sure which questions to ask. Besides, I wasn't so sure that if I opened my mouth a scream wouldn't emerge. Being stuck to the table was making me feel itchy all over.

"You seem to be mending quickly," He said after an eternity. "And besides your unforeseen ability of clairvoyance, everything else seems perfectly in order."

After a moment of messing with something out of my line of sight I was free of my bonds. I sat up slowly, rubbing my wrists as I got my first good look around.

The Sickbay looked so familiar, I wasn't so sure I hadn't been here before. My bed was nearest to the semicircular control panel that was covered in useless colorful screens, knobs, buttons, and dials. The Doctor's office seemed different, but maybe that was because the surface of his desk was littered with data pads.

A search of the rest of the room revealed Neelix and Naomi Wildman next to Samantha Wilsman's bed. All three were gawking at me with obvious interest.

I suddenly got the impression that Neelix and Naomi didn't exactly come to Sickbay on account of Naomi's mother.

"What is- ouch!" I'd moved to scratch the back of my head, but quickly withdrew my hand. I could swear I'd pricked my finger on something.

"No need to worry, it'll grow back in a couple of days."

My stomach dropped. "Could I have a mirror please?"

"Of course."

The Doctor handed me the mirror, and I had to steal my resolve before raising my eyes to my reflection. The hazel eyes were the same, the long, thin nose and full lips were the same, but the hair…

"I'm bald."

"Yes. I'm afraid most of your hair was burned off in your accident, which goes hand in hand with my theory that you were caught in an explosion. What was left was so matted with dirt and blood that it seemed the best course of action to remove it. But as I said, it should grow back in a few days, thanks to Seven's nano-probes."

"Okay." I couldn't stop staring at my strangely alien face in the mirror. My head looked small and pointy without my usual thick mop of hair to round it off.

I finally lowered the mirror, mostly because my hands were shaking. If this was a coma induced dream, it was an incredibly lucid one.

I patted myself down just to see what else had changed. There were no bandages or lingering pain, and when I twisted around to feel along my spine, there were no raised scars. I felt healthy and strong. Besides being bald, nothing else appeared to be out of order.

This was not the work of a few days. Then again, Borg nano-probes were known to work quickly.

 _Just like how quickly you've adopted the idea of being on Voyager._ I told myself blandly.

The entire room was watching me with interest.

I crossed my arms across my chest, suddenly aware that I was only wearing a flimsy hospital gown. Despite the fact that this probably wasn't my real body, I still felt strangely vulnerable. "Can I have some clothes please?"

"You will have everything you need soon, but first the Captain has a few questions to ask you."

As if conjured, the Captain strode through Sickbay doors closely followed by Chakotay and Tuvok. Though Janeway wasn't armed, her fellow officers were. I took an involuntary step back on instinct. I hadn't realized just how intimidating the bridge crew could be when they walked side by side with their weapons drawn.

Janeway put on a strained smile. "My name is Katheryn Janeway, Captain of the USS Voyager. I'd like to ask you a few questions about how you came aboard my ship."

I choked on a giddy laugh. Seeing her face to face was nothing short of crazy. On screen her personality was so big you didn't really notice her height, but she was definitely much smaller in person than I imagined. Though perhaps she just seemed that way because Chakotay was towering so close behind her.

"I'm not sure how much sense you're going to get out of her," The Doctor spoke up. "She seems a little disoriented. I imagine it'll take some time for her to recover from the shock."

She nodded curtly. "Miss..."

"Donna Winters." The Doctor supplied.

"Miss Winters, can you tell us why and how you materialized into our Engineering room while we were in the middle of that anomaly?"

"I don't know anything about an anomaly, but... I remember waking up. There was a siren, people talking. I couldn't feel my fingers..." I looked down, momentarily reliving the strange sensation.

"But what about before that? How did you get onto my ship?"

"I don't know. I was at home... No, I was running." I pressed my fingers into my eyes, my head suddenly aching from the effort of trying to remember.

"Perhaps this had better wait until she's had some time alone to think," The Doctor said at last. "After all, we don't know how well Seven's probes are acclimating to her system. She may remain disoriented for a couple of hours before her memories begin to clear."

At some point sweat had begun to run down the side of my face, despite the cool air of the sickbay. I started to shiver.

"We should let her rest, Captain." Chakotay spoke for the first time. I looked up at him gratefully, and he gave me a small smile. "It's clear the girl is no threat. I think we should listen to the Doctor and give her a little more time. I'm sure this is just as difficult for her as it is for us."

Janeway didn't look particularly pleased at the idea, but she eventually nodded. "Very well. Neelix, please lead our guest to her personal quarters, and when you're finished meet me in my ready room. Bring Ensign Ford back with you."

Neelix, who'd been hovering in the back ground during the conversation, practically jumped into action. "It would be my pleasure Captain!"

Janeway addressed me once more. "I'm sorry to welcome you onto our ship with such in-hospitality, but recent circumstances have required us to act with a little more caution than usual. I wish I didn't have to press the issue, but for the safety of this crew I'm going to need some real answers. I'll have Tuvok deliver you to my private quarters in a few hours so we can have a little chat."

"Am I a prisoner, Captain?"

Her frown eased a little, and her voice softened. "No, but I'd rather not let a stranger have free access to my ship until I can determine their intentions."

Before I could do anything more than nod, Neelix whisked me away. "Donna Winters, was it? My name is Neelix. I'm Voyager's ambassador and morale officer."

"It's nice to finally- I mean, it's nice to meet you."

Neelix didn't seem to notice my stumbling response. "So Donna, what planet do you come from?"

"I'm from Earth."

"Really? Well you certainly picked the best ship to hitchhike on. This is the only human occupied ship in the quadrant!" Neelix chuckled.

The corridor was a very pleasant temperature, but my feet were cold. It was strange wandering around Voyager, shoeless, with the hospital gown flapping loosely about my knees. I felt like a child playing make-believe in an over sized t-shirt.

"I'm sure this must be difficult for you. Waking up with no memories in such a strange place."

"You have no idea."

"Some of the crew seem to think you're here to sell Voyager's secrets."

"Why would I do that?" I frowned. "Do you think I am?"

"You don't seem like a bad person to me, and I'm a pretty good judge of character." He gave me a wink.

I couldn't help smiling in return.

"Take a look there," He pointed out the window. "The helix nebula. It's one of my personal favorites, and not just because it sounds so much like my own name."

I came to an abrupt halt. My eyes were dazzled by the stunning swirl of acid green and glimmering red.

"It's beautiful." I whispered, and laid a hand against the cool window.

If this was a dream, it was an extremely inventive one. I hadn't realized my imagination was capable of producing such vivid, detailed images from memory.

"Ah Mr. Ford! What good luck, I was just about to go and find you. The Captain would like a word with you in her Ready Room."

I turned, and when I met the gaze of Mr. Ford I froze like a deer in the headlights.

"Donna, this is Mr. Tucker Ford. Tucker, this is Donna Winters, our recent stowaway you were asking so many questions about. She was only just released from Sickbay."

To say Mr. Tucker Ford was attractive would be an understatement. He was much too attractive for my poor, overactive brain to process.

I could feel a blush burning my cheeks as he stared at me with heavy lidded eyes. His lips were pursed, a questioning frown formed between caterpillar eyebrows. His jawline was sharp and darkened by a five o'clock shadow that disappeared into a head of dark, curly hair.

He was, by all accounts, the perfect man.

He wasn't real, of course. There was no man alive who could possibly look as good this guy in a grease smeared Voyager crew uniform. He was just a fantasy.

But oh, what a fantasy...

He was the first to extend a hand. It was warm and callused, and completely engulfed mine.

"Hi." I tried to smile, but I think it came out looking a little sick because his frown deepened into concern.

"If you wouldn't mind accompanying us to Donna's new quarters, I can give you an update on the state of Engineering on the way to the Ready Room."

"Alright."

I quickly learned that Mr. Ford was not a man of many words. Neelix, however, had so many words he could hardly contain them.

We must have been a strange group, if anyone had been there to watch us walk by. The very cheerful, very alien Neelix chattering away to a tall, handsome, mute man on one side, and a barefoot, bald, asylum patient on the other.

I couldn't quite get over the fact that this was all fake. It looked and felt so real, but perhaps things did in lucid dreams. I wouldn't know. I'd never had one.

"Now Donna, you and I both no you're no threat, but I hope you'll forgive the Captain for her suspicious nature. She's had a very trying month, what with the strange anomalies and unknown entities that have been wrecking havoc on the ship and crew. So long as you don't have any bad intentions, I know the Captain will welcome aboard Voyager in no time."

"I hope so." I managed to say. If I were being honest, the Captain's suspicions were the last thing on my mind at that moment.

"And if you decide to stay on board with us, I'd be happy to give you a tour of the ship."

"Thanks, I'd like that."

Neelix beamed, and immediately started on another topic of conversation. By the time we reached my quarters, I was ready to be alone.

"Here we are!" Neelix motioned to an open door and waved me through the threshold. "Right next to Mr. Ford. You'll have a few hours before dinner, so take your time and rest. The replicator can make you clothes and any drinks you'd like while you wait."

"Alright, thanks Neelix." I gave him my best smile, as paltry as I knew it was, feeling Tucker's heavy gaze from over his shoulder.

"It's my pleasure! Well then, we'll leave you alone so you can have your privacy."

He stepped back with a final smile, and the door closed between us. As soon as I heard the hiss of the lock, I dropped onto the nearest chair and stared hopelessly up at the ceiling.

_What the hell is going on?_


	2. Orange Moon

_What the hell indeed._

I curled into the corner of the shower under a warm cascade of water, the heavy deluge drowning out all thoughts except the most troubling:

If this was a dream (which seemed like the most likely scenario), what was causing it? Was it a coma, or a drug induced fantasy? Both? And what had put me in such a deep state of sleep that I couldn't even touch the fragments of reality?

Pieces of memories swirled like water down the drain. Loud music, a shout, and an orange, witchy moon.

_Perfect for a Friday the 13th._

I raised my head. "Computer, what day is it today?"

_March 16th, Stardate 52545.5_

The timeline, at least, aligned with Harry's claim that I'd been unconscious for 72 hours. And while the doctor's diagnosis of my condition had seemed slightly exaggerated, perhaps there was some truth to it too.

I touched the back of my head and felt around. Now that I was giving it more attention, there was something there that I hadn't caught before. At the nape of my neck I could feel a slight puckering that went up and into the stubble that used to be my hairline, and finished at the middle of my skull. I twisted my arm around and felt along my spine. I could barely trace the two thin lines that ran along the length of my spine.

What did it all mean in reality? Maybe something, maybe nothing.

I shut off the water and wrapped myself tightly in a towel.

It was possible that the bright lights I'd seen were from an explosion, or it could have been stars from being hit too hard in the back of the head. Either way I was most likely in a coma, or maybe even dying, if I was hit hard enough. Perhaps my mind's way of dealing with the trauma of a near death experience was to create a colorful dream world, and the crew on Voyager just happened to be what my dying brain latched on to.

I shivered despite the hot steam still lingering in the air, and resolutely turned my attention to the replicator. What I needed was some kind of normalcy, like getting dressed and drinking some coffee. Maybe then I could regain my reason.

My clothes appeared to haven been already replicated for me. The outfit was utilitarian, a plain navy blue long shirt and soft black pants, but it fit perfectly. I slipped on the socks but chose to forego the shoes as I made my way over to the sofa with my coffee in hand.

After taking a second to settle in I took a look around my new living space. It was as utilitarian as my clothes: a desk and book shelf took up the entire right side of the room, while the bathroom and replicator dominated the back. My bed and sofa were situated underneath round bay windows that gave me a tiny view of the Delta quadrant.

 _If this is a dream, then it's a very detailed one._ I mused, and took in a quick sniff of the coffee. Hints of cardamom and cinnamon reminded me of home. I was preparing to take a sip when a chime sounded at the door.

"Come in?"

The door slid open, but no one was there. I watched it close a few seconds later with a frown. I raised the cup to my lips only to realize that it was gone.

"I don't see how you mortals could possibly enjoy such a vile smelling concoction."

My head whipped around at the disgusted voice. "Q!"

"Happy to see me?"

My heart dropped at the sight of the mischievous, godlike entity beside me. ' _Happy'_ wasn't exactly the word I'd use. More like terrified. If Q was here, then disaster was sure to follow. And I'd had more than enough disaster in the last few hours to last me a lifetime.

But I would be a fool to tell him that. Instead I said, "I suppose you're not the worst person I could be seeing right now."

"I know exactly what you mean. The Captain has that effect on a lot of people. It's one of her many alluring and mysterious qualities."

Suddenly my cup reappeared in my hands. It spilled before I could get a good grip on it.

"Speaking of the Captain, I've been trying to get her attention for the last few months, but will she give me the time of day? No. She's too busy trying to save the quadrant with Mr. Maquis. I had hoped Mr. Ford's appearance would be enough to catch her attention, but apparently she's not so easily distracted."

I set the cup gently on the side table. "You sent Tucker here?"

"Oh yes, just like I sent you."

"But that's not possible."

He scoffed. "Why ever not?"

"Because this is a dream, a dying girl's fantasy-"

"Wrong, but still a better guess than the boy. He thought he was in hell."

With a snap we were in Engineering. Smoke was in the air, conduits were sparking, people were shouting. It was absolute chaos.

Q's hands were folded neatly behind him, and he adopted the expression of a teacher. He was even wearing a cap and gown. "This was you, a few days ago."

I automatically recoiled. There, lying prone on the floor, was me. Well, it looked more like me if I had been a victim of an ax murderer in a Tarantino film. There was so much blood on me and the floor it was almost comical, except for the fact that my spine was twisted at a grotesque angle.

I appeared to be at death's door, an impression reinforced further as Harry dropped to my side with a look of extreme horror. He was holding a medical kit, and immediately began to work on mopping away the gore. He gently lifted my bleeding head off the floor to stick me in the neck with some hypospray.

"Injuries?" B'Elanna barked, when Q paused the scene.

He stared down at me. "If you hadn't ended up on Voyager, you would have died for good. My, what frail things you humans are."

"Died for good…."

"Don't you remember?"

He grinned, and suddenly I was me, running down the balmy street of my neighborhood, an orange moon hovering just above the horizon. I stumbled to a halt.

 _"Stayin Alive"_ by the Beegees was playing over my headphones. Q started dancing.

"I will say your choice of music does interest me exceeding. Oh the irony! I mean come on, your government just declared a national emergency and here you are, tempting fate with such music. Karma can be a real bitch, so they say."

_Or a Q._

"I heard that."

A black car flew by and pulled up to the curb near the end of the street.

I pointed at it dumbly. "That's near the place where I was hit."

"Yes, by a piece of shrapnel from the blast that obliterated the house. It was a deep wound, you're lucky I took you away when I did."

"The paramedics-"

"Would have been too late," He said scornfully. "Do you really think the doctors would have been clever enough to put you back together, especially after the state we saw you in?"

I thought back to the poor, dying creature on the floor and swallowed with difficulty. "Why?"

"Because 21st century humans are idiots."

"No I mean, why did you save me?"

He waved his hands airily. "Oh you know, I was in the area so I thought I'd stop by, smell the roses, rescue a few puny humans for my entertainment."

"You never do anything without a reason," I said irritably. "That much I know from the show…"

"The tv-show? Oh this keeps getting better and better!" He laughed like I'd told the most hilarious joke.

"What?"

"Isn't it obvious? _'Star Trek'_ is merely a poor recreation of my reality created by your people."

I struggled to filter these words as he continued, unconcerned. "I will say, however, that no matter how completely inaccurate the story lines and technology might be, your show got our likenesses almost perfectly. Well, besides Captain Kirk. I do believe William Shatner and Chris Pine outrank him in the beauty department. My counterpart however, Mr. de Lancie, is not nearly as handsome as myself. He doesn't possess my noble chin…"

He took a moment to let me admire him.

"But Gene Roddenberry! He-"

"Thought the idea was all his own! However I'm sure I don't have to add that it was a Q who put it into his head in the first place. They were hoping Mr. Roddenberry would enlighten the humans of this world before their time." He snorted. "It was a fool's hope. In your reality, people are light-years behind ours. It's a miracle you aren't still running around in loin cloths with pointy sticks."

"Hey, we have a pretty young Earth compared to yours. We're still trying to figure things out!"

I wasn't sure why I even bothered trying to defend the Earth. I knew it wasn't a utopia by any means, but I guess I wasn't about to let such a self-righteous prick crap all over it.

"Why are you in my reality, if it's so terrible?"

He frowned. "The Q who planted the idea in Mr. Roddenberry's head also tried to plant it in the heads of people in other realities. Strangely, yours was the only one where the idea stuck."

I frowned.

"She still doubts! How typical. I mean come on, be reasonable. Surely you realize by now that your tiny human minds aren't capable of creating such a vast and realistic dream world all on its own. Take you for example."

With that, he kissed me. He tasted like garlic and onions.

I shoved him away and gagged.

"Do you sincerely believe you could heave dreamed that up? You who has virgin lips..."

"How dare you!" I spat, suddenly angry and uncaring that he was like a god. "You just stole something I'll never get back!"

"Oh but if this is only a dream, then I've stolen nothing." He said innocently.

I tried to find some kind of defense but failed, so I settled on muttering a string of mild but satisfying profanities instead.

He tisked. "Careful now, I can make you hurt you know."

As he finished speaking, an explosion ripped the world apart. Stars appeared before me, and with a cry I crumpled to the ground. I was useless from the neck down, unable to speak.

Q bent down to give me a look of pity. "This was the moment I rescued you from a life doomed to something worse than death, and I can always put you back."

My body was released from its paralysis and I gasped. "Why are you doing this?"

"To get the Captain's attention," He answered impatiently. "Try and keep up."

In a blink we were back in my room, coffee cup in my hand, sitting on the sofa. The pain I'd felt moments before was gone, as if it had never happened.

He stood up and dusted himself off. "Unfortunately I've got to run. And I was just getting to the good part too, such a shame. We'll have to talk later. Don't do anything stupid like attempt suicide while I'm away."

"Attempt sui- Q!"

But it was too late. He was gone.

A million questions died on the tip of my tongue when the door chimed.

I jumped as adrenaline spiked through my system, spilling my coffee all over my hands and the floor.

I straightened as The Captain walked through, followed by Tuvok and Mr. Ford.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your solitary reverie so soon, but- Donna, are you alright?"

I set my cup aside with shaking hands. "I just saw-" The words caught in my mouth.

"You just saw..." Janeway prompted.

"I just saw-" Again, no words would form. It was as if something had grabbed my tongue.

The scene froze, and Q walked out from behind Tuvok.

"One last thing I forgot to mention. You can't tell anyone I was here. I'd like it to be a surprise."

"What?"

He grinned. "I want her to find out on her own. It's more fun for me that way."

"But that doesn't make any sense, if getting her attention is so important that you kidnapped me then why don't you just-"

"Kidnapped? Who kidnapped you?"

The world had apparently resumed, and Janeway had taken a few eager steps towards me.

"I'm sorry," I stammered. "I was just... you know, talking to myself. I wasn't kidnapped by- anyone."

My eyes darted about the room, landing at last on Tucker. My heart beat a little faster as we locked gazes. Something passed between us that I couldn't quite name. Solidarity? Trust? Confusion? He looked away before I could sort out the signals. His fists flexed at his side before they disappeared behind his back.

"Tuvok, maybe we should listen to the Doctor'd advice and wait a little while longer. Our guest still seems a little... on edge. I wouldn't want to push her too hard."

"Waiting any longer would be unwise, Captain. This might be the only time we have, considering the erratic pattern of the anomalies we've encountered."

After a pause during which she seemed to have a mighty internal struggle, she looked at me resolutely. "I really wish I could explain all this, but there is something in your head we would very much like to see. With your permission, I'd like Tuvok to perform a mind meld with you. It would be an enormous help. It could give us very important insight into our current situation."

I squeezed my eyes shut. A Vulcan mind meld meant reliving the explosion and pain all over again. Just the thought made my chest tighten painfully. Yet the Captain was asking for my help, and I didn't think I could tell her no, even if I wanted to.

I swallowed hard. "I'll do it as long as I never have to relive that memory ever again."

"You have my word."

I nodded shortly.

Tuvok sat beside me and cradled his fingers firmly along the sides of my face. Panic rose up to strangle me as he stared deeply into my eyes.

"My mind to your mind. My thoughts, to your thoughts."

For the second time in less than an hour I was transported back to my neighborhood, only this time I had no power over my movements. I was a prisoner of my own memory.

The air smelled like the beginning of spring in California: hot cement and night blooming desert flowers. My heart was pounding double time in rhythm to _"Stayin Alive_ ".

I looked up at the moon and watched it for a few paces, marveling at it's size, and when I dropped my gaze a black car sped by. It pulled up to the curb at the end of the street, and the driver exited it and quickly made its way towards the house.

_"Can you identify the man who just emerged from the vehicle?"_

"No," I muttered. "I tried but it was too dark to tell."

The figure disappeared into the house long before I reached the driveway. All that was left was my inevitable demise. I fought to slow down, but it was no use. A few heartbeats passed in anticipation, then there was a shout. I didn't even have time to turn my head before the explosion shattered the serenity of the night. Searing hot pain like lightning struck my body, and I let out a scream.

Suddenly my connection with Tuvok severed. When I came to, we were both sweating and panting like we'd run a marathon.

"Well, Tuvok?"

"It was... The same."

Relief was evident in her voice. "Thank you Donna, that was exactly what we needed."

My eyes and throat were beginning to burn. "Am I done now?"

"Almost. I just have a few more questions-"

"No!"

My shout shocked her into silence.

"I-I can't do anything else today," I stammered, face hot. "Please, I just need some time."

"Alright." She said softly.

"Thank you." I barely managed to say before, with an embarrassing squeak, I burst into tears.

After a moment or two, warm arms encircled my shaking shoulders. I sobbed into the front of their shirt.

For several minutes I couldn't speak. When my tears finally dried up, I pulled back from the embrace with a sniffle. "I'm sorry. I'm not having a very good day today."

"It's me who should apologize." The Captain said, and I felt her hand on my arm. I looked up to find her crouched down in front of me, concern written on her motherly face. "I guess I sometimes forget that not everyone is used to being pushed around like my crew. You should get some sleep, and we can talk in the morning."

"She shouldn't be alone overnight Captain," Tucker said. "You know what happened to me. I suggest that she go back to the medbay for observation overnight."

I could feel the rumble of his chest in my shoulder, but I was so emotionally spent that I couldn't even dredge up surprise at the thought that it was Tucker's arms that were circled around me. It was also Tucker's shirt that I'd just spent the last five minutes slobbering all over.

"In any other situation I would agree with you, but under the circumstances I'm not sure there's room for her there."

I felt him push out a sigh. "Then at least let her room with me. I have an extra bunk, and I might be able to help her better than anyone else on the ship."

"That is a very generous offer Tucker, but remember what happened to the last roommate you bunked with."

His voice hardened. "I won't let that happen again Captain."

She looked at him shrewdly. "Alright, but only for the night. Tomorrow we'll figure out-"

She was cut off by the sound of a red alert.

Her hand flew to her badge. "Janeway to Chakotay, what's going on?"

_"It's another anomaly Captain, off the port bow at 3,000 meters closing fast."_

"I'm on my way," She and Tuvok were already headed for the door. "Mr. Ford, take Donna to the designated safety zone."

"Yes Captain."

In a flash Tucker had me on my feet and was whisking me out the door. Red alert was on full display as I was half dragged, half guided through the flashing red halls. The ship lurched suddenly, and I stumbled into him.

"Who were you talking to, in your room?" He asked as he put me back on my feet.

"I was talking to myself." I clutched at his arm like a lifeline as the floor continued to shudder.

"I don't believe that."

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

He pulled me up short, suddenly intense. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that, I can't. My tongue will freeze. I know it sounds ridiculous..."

"It's not. Was it- The problem. Our problem! Is it a- Damn you!" He shouted at the air.

I blinked up at him in surprise, suddenly remembering Q's confession. "I forgot he said he'd brought you here too."

He looked shell-shocked. "You understand what I'm trying to say?"

I laughed weakly. "I understand nothing, but yes."

He laughed, and it was so full of genuine relief that I wanted to laugh with him. "I thought I was going insane, that this was all some kind of horrible dream. But now that you're here..."

"Honestly, I don't even know that I'm really here. You could be a figment of my imagination for all I know."

"I'm real enough," His arm tightened a fraction around my shoulders. "I've been here long enough to know it. Hopefully you won't have to."

I smiled sadly. "I have a feeling I'm going to be here till I die."

"I won't let that happen." He said fiercely.

The look in his eye was enough to convince me. "Tucker, do you-"

I wasn't allowed to finish. We were thrown across the hall as Voyager came to a crashing halt. My head was saved from impacting the wall by Tucker's body, but he wasn't so lucky. I struggled to my knees.

"Tucker?"

He didn't respond.

I grabbed his hand. "Tucker, please wake up, please-!"

An ominous crack drew my attention to the wall in front of us. I watched in horror was the window and adjacent walls started to splinter, and the emergency force field around our area suddenly activated.

"No." I whispered as Voyager released a final, guttural groan, and we were sucked into the cold vacuum of space.

I experienced multiple terrifying things in rapid succession: Icy knives pierced my skin, and my world became so silent that I could hear my own heart beating madly in my frozen chest. Panic overwhelmed me as the world began to spin madly out of control. The pressure behind my eyes was building as my world kept spinning, spinning, spinning...

Then stopped.

I was frozen in a beam of green light as my eyes grew dark. The last voice I heard before I blacked out was the one I was quickly beginning to despise.

"Oh my me, do I have to do everything around here?"


	3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

The green light disappeared. My body jolted, and we were back on Voyager.

I let out an oxygen starved gasp.

"This is exactly why I won't let my son have a pet. I turn my back on you humans for a few seconds and poof! Disaster! What am I going to do with you two?"

My chest heaved as I looked up at Q from my position on the floor. He was rubbing his temples with a frown, releasing long drawn out sighs, but I couldn't figure out what he was being so dramatic about. Of the two of us, it should have been me overreacting. I was the one who'd been jettisoned into space for heaven's sake! And while I understood that I was no longer suffocating in its sub-freezing vacuum, the how, and the why the hell were these things happening to me? Well, those facts were still a bit elusive.

Okay, a lot elusive.

"I thought I made it clear that you should make no suicide attempts while I was away."

Pins and needles pricked my thawing skin, and I winced. "Look, if I were going to kill myself I think I'd try a more elegant solution than slowly suffocating in space."

"You can never tell. Mr. Ford was a true master in the art of attempted self-murder when he first arrived."

I threw the man next to me a startled glance. "You mean he-"

"Yes, and in many shockingly grotesque and creative ways, I might add."

Tucker was propped up against the wall next to me, head hanging limply forward. I thought about adjusting his neck to a more comfortable angle, but realized he still had an iron tight grip on my hand. My knuckles were practically white between his rough, tanned fingers.

"I give him ten points for ingenuity," Q humphed. "but eventually I was forced to alert the crew to his sickness, or else risk losing my bet."

My mind snapped into sharp focus. "Your... bet?"

For a moment I thought I detected a flicker of fear, but the expression quickly passed.

"Oops, I've said too much," He wiggled his eyebrows and lowered his voice in a mock whisper. "Can you keep a secret?"

Anxiety was like a white hot poker in the pit of my stomach.

"I've a bet going with my female counterpart that Janeway will discover the source of these mysterious anomalies without direct intervention from myself or any of the other Q. Unfortunately the parameters of our bet weren't too well defined and I'd assumed, wrongly, that she'd play fair. Only, she tricked me into introducing a pair of wild cards into the game."

He looked at Tucker and myself pointedly, and at last I understood.

"You mean to tell me that we're just... pawns? In some stupid game?"

"Stupid game?" He looked affronted. "This is for far more than that! I'd condescend to tell you why, but your insults clearly indicate that you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

I couldn't look at him any longer. Instead I focused on Tucker and his slowly rising chest. "I don't want any part in it."

"It's too late for that Donna. You're here, and it's against the rules to alter the game any further."

"You're a Q," I snapped. "You could do whatever the hell you want! You just don't want to. But I never agreed to play your game, with rules or without."

"Well you never agreed to not be dead, but here you are. I've saved you twice now, which you still haven't thanked me for, by the way. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were an ungrateful wretch."

I hated him for saying it, and I hated the despair I felt slowly overtaking me as I realized he was right.

"You're lucky, you know. I let you in on the secret only a few days after your appearance on Voyager."

"Thanks."

"No need for the attitude. Mr. Ford wasn't informed of his circumstances for almost a month!" Then he said, almost to himself. "Q never said I couldn't tell you, and despite her nasty little trickery, it's possible she gave myself and Janeway the key pieces we'll need to succeed!"

"Why on Earth would we help you? We owe you nothing!"

He sighed. "This is really getting tiresome. You both owe me your lives! But don't worry, I won't hold it against you forever. If I win, I'll send you back to your dismal, boring little timelines and we can forget this ever happened."

"You mean you'll send us home, alive?"

"I give you my word as a Q. So long as I win."

"And if you don't?"

"Well, I suppose you'll have to remain here forever. Or till you're well and truly dead."

I closed my eyes. Whether this was a dream or not, I was faced with a very serious reality: I was still capable of feeling pain, and Q had the power to either help or harm me while I remained here.

The ghost of my numb and lifeless body haunted me, followed by the memory of ice hardened lungs. After a moment of painful remembrance, the feeling passed, and in its place was a bone deep weariness. There was no point in trying to unravel the mystery that was Q, to know whether he was lying or telling me the truth. Whether I liked it or not, my only choice was to play along and hope that when it was finished, he would keep his word.

I glanced at Tucker, suddenly understanding his desire to end it once and for all. He was still clutching my hand like a lifeline. I wondered what kind of similarly frustrating conversations he must have had with Q all those months ago, and how lonely he must have been. To be here for so long without anyone who understood what he was going through, or being able to talk freely about this strange and terrible situation we now found ourselves in.

I adjusted Tucker's head as best as I could, and gently moved a curl from his forehead. The frown between his eyebrows eased at my feather-light touch, making him look years younger than I had originally guessed. He couldn't be more than a few years older than I was, maybe twenty six or twenty seven.

It hurt to think that Q had managed to drive him to suicide at every opportunity for a month, and it was all for nothing.

Passing entertainment of a race of terrible, false gods.

There was a sudden burning in my throat. "I don't like you very much."

"That's hurtful Donna. I might go home and weep on my pillow for the next several millennia."

I swallowed my next words, which definitely might have been a string of profanities you didn't want to say to an entity who has control over your entire existence.

Yet something had to be done.

So I flipped him the bird.

"Real mature." He said, then with a flourish he was gone.

"There you are!"

Neelix's voice proceeded him, and my hand fell just in time to for him to round the corner, a tricorder in his hands. "What happened? Are you alright?"

I nodded wearily.

He anxiously began scanning Tucker, then myself. "When there was a report of a hull breach on your level, we thought maybe you'd been killed."

"So did I," I glanced over at the place Q had been moments before.

"We've been looking all over the ship for you. We tried to hail Tucker, but the comms are down thanks to these blasted anomalies."

I nodded, thinking of one annoying anomaly in particular.

"Can you walk? Emergency beaming isn't working right now, so we'll have to carry him to sickbay ourselves."

By the time we were in a position to try to lift Ticker, I realized that not only was he much younger than he looked, but he was also more muscled than his unflattering uniform suggested. As a byproduct, he was also much heavier. As dead weight, Neelix and I could barely lift him off the ground.

We'd only made it about ten yards down the corridor before my legs started shaking.

"I think we're going to need some back up." I strained between short puffs of breath. Tucker's arm was jammed uncomfortably against my neck, making it difficult to raise my head.

"Neelix to The Doctor, can you hear me?"

There was no reply.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Neelix gave me a bleak look as sweat dripped down the side of his face. "I don't think I can carry him for much longer."

"Me either."

We simultaneously came to a stop and gently dropped him to the floor. Neelix pulled a handkerchief from a pocket and dabbed his forehead as I rested my hands on my knees to take several deep breaths.

"I don't think we can do this without help." I said at last.

"Unless..." He looked up and down the silent halls and frowned slightly.

"Unless what?"

"We could always drag him."

I stared down the empty hallway. This area was relatively untouched by the anomalies, but there was still some light dust a debris scattered across the floor. "Well, it's not ideal, but I guess we don't have much of a choice. It doesn't look like help is on the way."

"No," He wiped his forehead one final time and tucked the handkerchief back in his coat pocket. "I'll take the left arm."

I silently apologized to Tucker as Neelix and I grabbed him by the arms and started dragging him awkwardly down the hall. His shoes squeaked balefully against the floor every time we shuffled back a few steps.

"I know this is a strange question," Neelix said, after a few heavy breaths. "But were you and Mr. Ford alone in the hall just now? I thought I saw a strange reading on the tricorder. There was some kind of energy signature, just before I rounded the corner."

I tensed. I was afraid that Q was similar to a taboo, bound to appear like a bad hair day whenever he was least wanted. When I didn't immediately see or feel his presence, I relaxed. But only a little.

"There was something there," I said. "But then it disappeared."

"Was it an alien?"

 _More like a blight on my existence._ "Yes."

Neelix brightened considerably. "Did it say if it was the one causing the anomalies?"

"He didn't say but... I don't know. I don't think he did."

He looked disappointed for a moment, but it didn't last for long. A curious gleam entered his eye. "You called it a he? Did it have a physical form? Was it a corporeal being?"

 _Unfortunately._ I tugged Tucker along with a little more force than necessary. "Yep."

"What did it look like?"

"Sadly disappointing."

I felt his frown more than saw it, but was saved from further interrogation as we encountered a sudden influx of the crew. Turns out Q had deposited Tucker and I on a different floor than we'd almost died on, so we needed to take the turbolift up several floors to get to sickbay.

No one noticed Neelix and I at first, since there was a mad scramble of activity when we arrived. Amidst moans and worried voices, The Doctor was busy attending to the Captain. He putting some kind of cream on several large, angry burns along the side of her face, while she engaged in a low and fast conversation with Chakotay. He was standing at the foot of her bed, head bowed towards her in concentration.

Neelix was I were trying to decide what to do with the unconscious man strung between us when Janeway looked up, an expression of relief crossing her dirty face. "Neelix, you found them!"

"Yes ma'am," Neelix answered in a pant. "They were on the 3rd floor, in a back corridor."

"What on Earth were you doing down there?"

Chakotay crossed the length of the room in several large strides and relieved us of Tucker's handsome corpse, slinging him over a broad shoulder as if he weighed nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"I'm not sure Captain," I thought I saw Tucker's eyelids flicker as bounced against Chakotay's back. "We were on our way to a safe zone when we were suddenly... transported."

I didn't bother explaining where. I wasn't even sure I could without including Q, and I somehow doubted I would be allowed to mention him considering what happened the last time I tried.

Chakotay looked grim. "It's these damn anomalies. Just when we think we understand them, they throw us another curve ball."

"Speaking of curve balls..." The Captain was staring at Neelix's tricorder with rapt attention.

"What is it Captain?" Chakotay asked. He deposited Tucker on an empty bed and hurried back over with a frown. When he reached her side, she tilted the tricorder towards him, and he examined it in silence. When he was finished, they shared a look.

They didn't even exchange words, but he nodded and immediately left the room. After a brief moment Janeway looked up at me with a sharp, examining look in her eye. "In a few minutes my senior officers and I are going to meet in my ready room, and I need you to be there."

The Doctor sputtered. "I really must protest Captain! Despite your needless bravado, you are still seriously injured. I need time to assess the damage, to be sure you heal correctly. We don't know what these anomalies are made of, if they are sentient or have malicious intent, what their chemical make up is comprised of-"

"I'm sorry Doctor, but this can't wait any longer. We don't know how much time we have till the next round."

"Well I'm sorry Captain, but I simply can't allow you to leave sickbay. I need more time."

Janeway didn't put up much of a struggle. In fact, her exasperated sigh made it sound as if she'd expected this denial from the beginning. "The only other option is bringing them all in here, and I know how much you hate people hanging around in sickbay."

His expression showed decided distaste for the idea, but he nodded once, shortly. "I understand the seriousness of the situation Captain, so I will allow it, just this once. So long as you continue to let me work without giving me trouble."

She looked like she was repressing a smile. "You have my word Doctor. Chakotay, Come in."

There was a moment of static, then at last, "I'm here Captain."

"We're assembling in sickbay, since the Doctor has seen fit to give me orders not to move till he's finished with his tests."

The Doctor gave her a look, but continued his ministrations without pause.

"Understood Captain. You can expect us in less than ten."

Butterflies began a boxing match in my stomach.

The senior officers of the Voyager crew were all going to be here, right in front of me, in the next ten minutes. I would have considered it a dream come true if it weren't for Q's threat hanging over my head. My new life truly was surreal.

A groan caught my attention, and I was back at Tucker's side in a flash. "You're awake!"

His head turned at my approach, and he stared at me with groggy eyes. "Are you... real?"

"I'd like to think so.," I said, laughing nervously. "Are you thirsty? I can grab you some water."

I didn't even wait for a reply, but went in search for a replicator. When I got back, a frown had taken command of his forehead. I handed him the cup, and he lifted it with a slow but steady hand to his lips. After a long while he handed the empty cup back to me. His eyes were a bit sharper now.

"What happened? I feel like I was hit by a semi."

I lowered my voice. "An anomaly hit our level, and ruptured the hull. The emergency forcefield activated and then we were... forcefully expelled into space. Our mutual friend deposited us back onto the ship."

He looked grim. "It was that smug bastard, wasn't it?"

"Yep."

"He has an unhealthy obsession with keeping me alive."

"Me too, apparently."

"Did he tell you what was going on? What was really going on?"

"He told me that we're pawns in a game that he needs Janeway to win."

He nodded, but the grim set of his mouth had been lessened somewhat. It took him a few moments, but with my help he managed to attain a sitting position. He looked as if he was going to pass out.

"Are you alright? Do you need one of the nurses or..."

"No, I'm alright. Just hand me that hyprospray there, and that blue vial."

The efficiency with which he loaded the medication and administered his own shot was an uncomfortable reminder that Tucker wasn't a stranger to sickbay.

"There. I'll be right as rain in no time." He smiled at me, and I immediately felt a blush creeping over the top of my high necked sweater. His teeth were slightly crooked, giving him a kind of boyish charm that utterly disarmed me.

I dipped my head before remembering that I didn't have any more hair to hide behind when I was nervous. "I'm glad you're awake. The longest conversations I've had with anyone on Voyager so far have been with- well, you know."

He nodded, his smile dimming.

"I don't suppose you know what's going on? Does the Captain have any idea what's behind these anomalies?"

"Not at first, but I've been watching her for the last couple weeks and I think she's been collecting more data than she lets on. It's hard to tell. She keeps her cards close to the vest, that one."

"Janeway's always been like that," I leaned back against his bed with a fond smile. "And with Seven and B'Elanna on her side, there's nothing they can't figure out."

He looked at me oddly. "I hadn't realized you'd met the rest of the crew."

"Yeah I- I mean no I haven't. Not here, in real life, or whatever this is. I just know them from the show."

He stared at me blankly.

Understanding dawned. "You weren't a Star Trek fan, were you?"

He slowly shook his head, then after a moment or two of hesitation he said, "Donna, are you-"

But he never finished the question, cut off by the arrival of the bridge crew entourage.


	4. Bitter Green

Tom and Harry were first to burst through the door, with Tuvok and Seven following several steps behind at a more stately pace. Seven was explaining something to the silent Vulcan on her datapad, showing an unusual amount of excitement, at least for her. Chakotay and B'Elanna loudly took up the rear.

"Even if I wanted to, it's just too risky!" B'Elanna was saying, hands gesturing in an agitated manner. "We have so little information to go on. In all likelihood our vortices would make the anomalies too unstable. They'd collapse in on themselves before we made it to the other side!"

"Theoretically speaking, could we do it?" Chakotay asked.

"Theoretically, if I had the right parts to repair the engine and install the upgrades, and a lot more help to do it, maybe I could make it work."

"We're going to need a lot more than maybe."

"There's a reason we were talking theoretically, Chakotay. We haven't exactly dealt in absolutes since we landed in the Delta quadrant. Unless Seven has anything else to add, the best I can do is maybe."

Seven folded her arms behind her back and inclined her head. "I have some information which should help with the upgrades."

"Well I'm all ears."

The Captain put up her hand and all conversation hushed. "Thank you all for meeting me here. As you can see I'm a little tied up, but I wanted us all to be on the same page about our situation. But first, I want to know how the repairs are going. Tom, what's the situation with the Delta Flyer?"

Tom folded his arms. "Well some of the cargo fell and bounced into her during the collisions, but I ran some diagnostics and besides a few cosmetic injuries, she's doing just fine."

"Good. Tuvok, are the security systems back online?"

"We are still running on auxiliary power, and it only has enough energy to run essential systems. I have teams working to get main power back online."

She nodded. "Harry?"

"All crew is present and accounted for, with only minor injuries reported. Lucky for us the anomalies only breached the hull in areas where no crew members were present. It seems you bore the brunt of the injuries this time Captain."

 _Except for me and Tucker._ I frowned. Except, we hadn't technically been injured. If Q hadn't been there, we would have died. Even still...

"That sounds a little suspicious, doesn't it?"

Tucker, who's gaze had been trained somewhere in the middle distance, blinked and looked at me in surprise. "Sorry, what?"

"It can't be a coincidence that Janeway's the only one who was badly injured."

"No. And this isn't the first time she's been the only casualty."

"Do you think she's being targeted?"

"It's possible. But so am I, and so are you, now."

The thought was sobering. "Well at least we know he- our friend- isn't the one doing it. He wouldn't purposefully hurt Janeway if he could help it."

"Why?"

"He likes her, even if he refuses to admit it."

He released an exasperated sigh. "How the hell do you know so much about these people?"

"I know it makes me a total nerd and everything, but I just... I really like Star Trek." I reddened, folding my arms tightly across my chest. "I've watched almost every show at least once, but Voyager happens to be one of my favorites so I know a lot about the crew."

I chewed my lip as I watched the senior officers. They were deep into a debate about the state of Engineering and the warp core, what parts were needed to make the warp drive operational again, and possible planets to visit in order to collect the necessary repair materials.

"It's weird. Where I'm from they're just a bunch of actors, but here they're real people. And they look and act so much like their characters that I feel like I know them. Almost like we're old friends."

"You sound worried."

"I guess I'm just afraid of what it says about my sanity."

"I know the feeling." There was a bleakness to his expression.

"I'm sorry." I said, after a few moments of silence.

He started. "Sorry?"

"I said I'm sorry you had to go through all this by yourself. At least I've got you to reassure me I'm not crazy."

"I've been through worse."

He said it so bluntly that I blinked in surprise, but he was already moving on, raking his fingers through his hair and tousling it wildly.

"But I can't say I'm sorry you're here. It's been a long time since I've had a conversation with anyone that didn't revolve around tachyon beams or antimatter flow."

"Yeah. I thought quarantine was complicated, but life's gotten at least two times more confusing in the last couple of days."

"It only gets weirder from here."

"Weird I can handle, but all this?" I waved my hands about, hoping to encompass everything. "This is on a whole other level. Remember the good old days when the most annoying thing we had to deal with was people hoarding toilet paper?"

A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "What?"

"You didn't have that problem? I swear some doomsday prepper in my town was trying to stockpile enough TP to outlast the end of the world. Or maybe they were just preparing for the worst case scenario, like months of explosive diarrhea."

His laugh took me by surprise. It was full of genuine warmth, and I felt proud of myself for having coaxed it out of him. Even if it was only by accident.

"What's the joke?"

The question somewhat disoriented me as I turned to face the circle of senior officers. I'd almost forgotten where I was, having escaped from this strange reality for a little while with Tucker. But the bubble had burst, and our escape was at an end. Every eye in Sickbay was now trained on us, intent on our answer.

I cleared my throat. "Sorry."

"We didn't mean to be disrespectful." The laughter in his voice was gone. He had transformed back into the grave, silent man that I'd met with Neelix in the hall.

_Gosh, was that only this morning?_

"You two know each other?" Chakotay asked.

"Well we don't, exactly. But we kind of came from the same world- I mean the same part of the world. We were just talking about life... before."

Several blank expressions told me exactly how clear I'd been.

"Is there anyone with musical talent on this ship that you don't know?"

Harry slapped Tom on the arm. "Really?"

"What? I thought her telepathy thing was common knowledge?" He looked at me eagerly. "I don't suppose you've been able to divine what instrument your friend plays? I know he plays one, even if he won't admit it. I can tell a musical talent when I see one. It would be ideal if it was the trumpet or standing bass. With Harry on Clarinet, Seven playing piano, and the Doc singing vocals, we could have our very own Jazz band: ' _The Delta Quadrant Quartet_ '."

"What are you talking about?" Janeway demanded.

"I think I can explain Captain," The Doctor replied, throwing Tom a dirty look. "I mentioned the incident fully in the report you asked for, but I suppose you haven't had much time for reading, considering recent events."

"Sorry no. Please enlighten us."

"Of course Captain. When Donna first awoke, Mr. Kim and I were here to help her recall how she arrived and... well, while trying to jog her memory, she suddenly seemed to have intimate knowledge of the crew."

"What exactly do you mean by 'intimate'?"

"As Mr. Paris so cleverly intimated, Donna knew that Mr. Kim played the clarinet, and she also told me that I enjoyed opera. I thought perhaps her knowledge was a possible lingering side effect of Seven's nanoprobes, a sort of shared memory transfer."

"Seven, is this possible?"

"I have never heard of such a thing, Captain." Seven replied. "Sharing my nanoprobes with Mr. Ford afforded no such results, though I suppose it is not impossible. However, since we do not have sufficient time to test and prove the theory, I am inclined to believe it is not very probable."

Janeway regarded me speculatively. "Which leaves only the improbable. What else do you know about us Miss Winters?"

I felt their heavy gazes like shackles. "I know Chakotay and B'Elanna were Maquis, and Tuvok went undercover for Starfleet on their ship. Neelix escaped his home planet that was destroyed, and his goddaughter is Naomi Wildman. Tom was a convict, but got a second chance on this crew, and I know how difficult it was for everyone when Seven was separated from her Borg collective."

I looked at Janeway. "But you Captain were the catalyst for helping her, and this crew, survive in the Delta quadrant."

"How do you know all this?"

"She could have accessed Voyager's database." Seven suggested.

"Impossible," was Tuvok's response. "She does not have any access codes, nor did she have physical access to any of our computers during the time she spent alone in her quarters."

"Is it possible she found a way into the system when the main power went down on the ship?"

"She didn't."

I could feel Tucker standing behind me now, his arm pressed against the back of mine. "We were on our way to the safety zone when the anomalies hit."

Janeway had kept her eye on me during this exchange, and it was clear she was still waiting for my reply.

"I don't know how to tell you this, and I know how crazy it's going to sound," I sucked in a deep breath. "But where I'm from, we have this television show called Voyager, and it's about you. Well, it's about the entire crew actually. I've watched you guys go through so much..."

I wasn't sure how much I should say, considering it included their futures. Or what I assumed was their futures. I didn't know how closely the show followed to their life events.

"Are you some sort of time traveler?" Neelix asked at last, somewhat tentatively.

"I don't know, my Earth doesn't have that kind of technology. We only just started sending people to the moon 60 years ago."

"A pre-warp human with intimate knowledge of our crew because of some show?" B'Elanna scoffed. "Excuse me Captain but you have to admit that it sounds ridiculous!"

"I'm sorry to say she's right," The Captain gave me a long look. "Is there anything else you can give us? Anything you couldn't have possibly learned from our database?"

"Well... no. But I just watched Voyager- the show- the other day! Tuvok could look into my head and see I'm telling the truth."

The Captain nodded to Tuvok, who stepped forward. Tucker was still standing behind me, his presence comforting as the Vulcan raised a hand to my face.

"My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts."

Sickbay disappeared. My livingroom appeared, and I was watching the tv drinking coffee. The episode on screen happened to be from season 2, and prominently featured Tuvok as he tried to mind meld with a manon Voyager named Lon Suder, who had murdered a crew mate. Several minutes pass in quick succession, as if Tuvok is fast forwarding through my memory.

I'd watched several episodes one after the other, so there was a lot for him to see. Then, suddenly, Q appeared on the screen.

My heart leaped out of my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. What if this was my chance to tell someone what was going on? I doubted Q had taken mind meld communication into account when he said I couldn't tell them what was going on.

Tuvok seemed to sense my nervous anticipation. " _What is it? What do you see?"_

_That's him! He did this to me!_

_"Q?"_

I laughed, tears of relief suddenly pouring from my eyes. I could hear Tuvok laughing as well.

 _"Why did he_ send _you here to us?"_

 _A game._ I felt hysterical. _Th_ _at's all he told me. It's all a game. You can see it. He came to me just before you did your mind meld with me this morning, then again in the hall during the red alert._

Tuvok went over the scenes. I could feel his presence, laser focused on my vision of Q, and his vague explanations.

When he was finished, our connection severed, and I realized that I was actually crying. Tucker had a hold of me. I looked up at him, dazed.

Frustration hardened the planes of his face.

"He knows." I whispered, and surprise lit his eyes.

"Everything?"

"Everything."

His grip suddenly tightened on my arm, even as he helped prop me up against the examination table. It had taken both Tom and Chakotay to keep Tuvok from collapsing, and there were tears on the Vulcan's face.

"She is telling the truth Captain." Tuvok said unsteadily. He took a moment to compose himself, staring at me with a ghost of my emotions written on his face. "And I know who has been playing with our fates."

"Who is it?" Janeway demanded, but he didn't reply.

A strained look passed his face, and he seemed to be concentrating hard. At last he gave up, looking quizzical. "I'm afraid I cannot say Captain."

"You can't?" I asked, disappointment dampening my relief.

"What do you mean?"

"It appears the entity has put a kind of prohibition on mentioning anything related to itself, or its purpose here. I cannot speak of it." He was standing on his own now, his face once again devoid of all emotion. "But the exercise was by no means fruitless. I was able to see into Donna's memories, and observe that she was telling the truth while also discovering the source of our current misery."

This made some eyebrows rise.

"I speak as Donna would phrase it," He inclined his head towards me. "And while I cannot speak the name, I now understand who, and what, we are dealing with. I can now work to unravel the mystery so we can, as you would say, move forward."

There was silence.

"What year are you from?" Janeway asked at last.

"2020."

I felt Tucker twitch beside me.

"But not 2020 from our reality, Captain."

She looked at him in surprise. "A parallel universe?"

"'Alternate universe' is more apt a phrase."

Seven suddenly spoke up. "Captain, while doing some research in the Starfleet database, I came across a file that mentioned a 'mirror universe'. Several of your Captains- Captain Archer, Captain Kirk, and Captain Sisko, respectively- recorded entering this universe, where an oppressive race called the 'Terrans' ruled and dominated over all non-human species."

"We're not Terran!" I hastened to say. "At least, I hope not."

"Seven, what can you tell me about those scans I asked you to review?"

"I looked through all the logs and was able to confirm that at the moment Mr. Ford and Miss Winters appeared on Voyager, the readings indicated the presence of micro-wormholes, large enough for a human being to pass through under extreme circumstances. No wormholes appeared on any other occasions."

Captain Janeway slipped off the examination table with Chakotay's help. She looked tired and beaten, her uniform tied around her waist so the Doctor could heal her burns. Yet even as she stood, slightly leaning on Chakotay for support, nobody could doubt for a second that she was in complete command of the room.

"So these anomalies started almost seven months ago and don't seem to follow any predictable pattern, occur with any kind of regularity, nor arrive with prior warning. We can't say whether Mr. Ford and Miss Winters appearances have any significance in terms of time or purpose, however they did arrived through the only two micro-wormholes that have appeared over the last few months since the anomalies began. Tuvok?"

He inclined his head. "Based on what I was able to learn from Donna's memories, we can safely make the assumption that Tucker and Donna arrived in our universe through these wormholes aided by a great power, for that is what I believe sent them here, although I cannot yet understand the purpose." He paused to take in both Tucker and myself. "I also cannot say whether it was by design, or chance, but you are both victims of the same explosion."

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"When I performed the mind meld on Mr. Ford months ago, I saw a figuring jogging down the street in his memory. Then in yours, I was able to ascertain that Mr. Ford was the figure you saw entering the house. I have yet to determine what the explosion has to do with your presence here, if it has any connection at all. It could simply an act of fate, or sympathy, on the part of the entity."

"Misery, fate, sympathy. You're beginning to sound almost human, Tuvok." Janeway said this with a faint smile.

He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, and I thought his deadpan expression somehow portrayed his displeasure at the comparison.

"Well, at least now we have the method through which you arrived," The Captain said to me. "Even if the reason is still a mystery. It'll be a good foundation to use as a spring board. While the ship is repaired, I want all our manpower focused on divining the cause of these anomalies, and Tuvok, I'd like you to watch for the connection between the anomalies and our two guests."

"Yes Captain."

"Donna, what kind of career path were you following back in your universe?"

"I'm an aircraft mechanic, actually."

"Fascinating." Tuvok said.

"What?"

"I work on helicopters in the Navy." Tucker replied quietly.

"I believe that alone points to something more than coincidence, Captain." The Doctor offered this unasked for opinion somewhat smugly.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Any guesses at this point are simple conjecture until we have more information. In any case, it makes my job that much easier," She gave me a measured look. "I'm afraid there's no such thing as a free ride on Voyager. We're already shorthanded as it is, so I'm going to put you into rotation on the duty roster. You'll be paired with Mr. Ford in Engineering."

B'Elanna quickly spoke up. "Captain, I don't have time to train another civilian. With the repairs and upgrades, I can't afford to have her under my feet."

"Which is why I'm leaving the training to Mr. Ford," The Captain responded patiently. "He's learned more than enough from you to be up for the task. Right Ensign?"

He looked as grim as B'Elanna looked unhappy, but he nodded nonetheless.

The Captain turned her attention back on me. "I'll get you a pad with access codes, and give you few days to read up on the auxiliary systems. Mr. Ford's been here long enough to have a handle on them, so if you have any questions you can take them up with him directly."

"But Captain, a mechanic isn't like an Engineer." My heart was racing wildly, anxiety clawing at my chest. "You don't understand, I don't know a thing about-"

"Warp engines? Don't worry, you won't be working anywhere near the engine. You'll be focusing on the auxiliary systems, to start. Remember, Mr. Ford was in your shoes not too long ago. If he can learn, so can you."

_Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse..._

I looked to Tucker, hoping to find some reassurance, but none was forthcoming. He was once again staring into space, wearing an enormous frown.

I was beginning to get the idea that he did that a lot.

"For now, it's time to focus on getting our ship up and running again."

"I'll assemble the away team," Chakotay replied immediately. "And once we have a list of everything we need from each department we'll head to the nearest star system. Seven discovered the presence of an inhabited M-Class not far away. It looks promising."

"Keep me updated. Dismissed."

That single word set the entire bridge crew into action.

"Mr. Ford, Miss Winters, if you wouldn't mind staying behind for a moment."

At her summons we moved forward and joined her at the bottom of her bed.

She looked at me with a tired smile. "I'm sorry to have to throw you into things, but these are desperate times."

"I understand Captain."

"I just wanted to say that if you're having any problems, or are unsure of anything, I want you to let me know immediately. I know we're practically strangers... well, at least you're a stranger to me," She said this with a slight smile. "But I'm aware that I'm asking and expecting an awful lot from you. So I want to keep an open communication. We're a family on Voyager, and I want you both to try and be a part of it."

"Thank you."

"Mr. Ford, I know you offered to share a bunk with Donna. Does that offer still stand?"

"Yes Captain."

"Some of the crew are already bunking three, and so we'll need Donna's quarters to help thin them out and cool some tempers. I was going to try and bunk her with one of our other female crewman, but under the circumstances I think this is the best solution. Especially considering you both seem to get along so well."

My stomach turned over at the thought of being roommates with a gorgeous man. I knew exactly what I looked like like when I first woke up in the mornings, and I was no sleeping beauty.

"For now, I would ask that you would return to your quarters and await further instructions. I'll have someone send over a data pad as soon as I can, which will contain all the necessary training materials, as well as your daily schedule. I'll have Neelix come around at dinner time to take you to the mess hall, then he''ll give you a quick tour..." She suddenly frowned down at my feet. "What happened to your shoes?"

"My shoe-" I looked down in surprise at my socked feet. The bottoms were covered in dirt. "Oh! I guess I forgot to put them on when we left my room earlier. I've been pretty distracted recently..."

"That's understandable."

I was blushing furiously as I turned to make a hasty retreat.

Tucker's voice caught up with me. "Deck 4, turn right off the turbolift. The room number is 413. In case you forgot."

"Okay, cool, thanks. See you later."

I left Sickbay as fast as my socked feet would allow. Following Tucker's directions, I found his room easily. It was almost an exact replica of mine, and completely devoid of personal touches. I didn't think it was possible for a room to look so un-lived in, and I double-checked the room number to make sure I was in the right place. My next problem was figuring out which bed was his. Both were neat and unwrinkled, without so much as an indent on a pillow to indicate a head might have laid there.

Exhaustion was finally creeping in, and I realized that I didn't care anymore. I dropped into the closest bed and closed my eyes, unable to summon up the energy to even climb under the blankets. The silence was like a lullaby after all the excitement, and before I knew it, I fell numbly into the arms of sleep.


	5. When Green Eyes Turn Blue

I wasn't sure what woke me up first, the drool that had thoroughly soaked the pillow beneath my cheek, the smell of fresh coffee, or the absolute darkness that seemed to suddenly descend upon my dreamless sleep. When I eventually swam into consciousness and managed to open my eyes, I had to blink several times before the darkness was dispelled by a soft white glow. A slight raising of my head revealed the source: a blanket of a billion stars splashed across a velvet universe.

I stared at the unearthly view for a few quiet moments. Few humans alive had ever seen these stars before, from this universe or mine. I couldn't remember how many times I'd looked out from my tiny corner of Earth and imagined what it would be like to float in the vast expanse of space, and now here I was, living the impossible dream. I almost couldn't believe it.

 _Almost_. I thought wryly.

I wiped the remaining drool from my cheek with my one useful hand, the other one currently hanging numb and lifeless at my side. It was difficult to believe that all this was real, but I couldn't deny what was in front of my own eyes. Or my own experience for that matter: being transported through space and time by Q (and, unfortunately, being kissed by him), the pain of almost dying twice, being hugged by Tucker...

I knew the mind was capable of impressive deceptions, and I still wasn't 100% sure that I wouldn't eventually awaken to find that this had all been a dream.

But what if it wasn't? What if I really was sent here by Q, and was actually living on Voyager? For the first time, I felt it like it was a distinct possibility.

What I really needed to be doing was make the most of this opportunity. I needed to soak up the views, explore the ship, meet people, boldly go where no Winters has gone before.

In short, I needed to see everything and learn to be a part of the crew, like Janeway said. Which reminded me of the task I was supposed to be doing instead of sleeping: learning the auxiliary systems.

I winced as the numbness in my arm gave way to the pricking of a thousand bee stings, and shifted around so I could rub some of the pain away.

There was a gentle scrape across the room, making me pause.

"Tucker?"

Muffled footsteps led to the appearance of a shadowy figure. "I'm here."

"What are you doing, sitting in your own room in the dark?"

"I didn't want to wake you up."

"Oh." I blinked as a blue light blinked to life beside me, revealing Tucker's guarded face in its harsh glow. "Thanks. How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost twelve hours. Neelix said you were already gone when he came by to drop off the pad."

"Twelve hours?" I moved to smooth back my hair, which of course was a useless motion. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

With a word from Tucker, the lights turned on low. "Neelix thought we should let you sleep, and I only just got back from Engineering."

Now that I could see the man, I had to repress a stab of guilt. While I'd been happily sleeping the day away, he had clearly been hard at work.

I would have called him haggard, except that his weary appearance only made him more handsome, if that was even possible. His five o'clock shadow was in fine form and his uniform was rumpled, but as he stood in front of me- his sleeves rolled above his forearms and a picture perfect smudge of grease on his forehead- I could imagine his serious face stamped on the front of a Starfleet recruitment poster: _"Become a Starfleet Engineer today!"_

I'd bet they'd get a lot more recruits if they did.

"Thanks for sharing your room with me. I know having a stranger as a roommate isn't ideal."

"I'm happy to do it," He dropped onto the bed next to me. "You feel less like a stranger to me than the rest of the crew, to be honest."

My chest squeezed as I caught the familiar whiff of engine oil and steel. It reminded me of my dad, and my first job shadowing him in the family business. Of sweating away the summer in a stuffy aircraft hangar that bore an uncanny resemblance to an easy-bake oven. I could almost taste the humid, stale air that lingered in almost every old airplane I'd had the pleasure of crawling inside during routine maintenance.

"You alright?" He asked quietly.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, thanks. It's just... I was remembering. The way you smell, it reminded me of home. Of my job and my family… Of normal things, I guess."

The faces of my three brothers swam before me, and with a pang I realized that this was the first time I'd given them any thought in days.

Jack, the oldest and dearest of my clan of brothers, was a first responder. He would have been on duty the night of the explosion, which means that he would have most likely been the first to arrive at the scene. If I was in a coma, then Jack would have been the one to find my mangled body.

The very idea made me want to vomit, and it took every ounce of willpower to swallow down the impulse.

"What is it?"

I took a moment to collect myself before answering. "If I'm really in a different reality, and for my sanity I have to believe that I am, then Jack won't find my body in the explosion, which is good. But that means they won't know the explosion had anything to do with me, and my family will think I've gone missing... which is actually so much worse. They'll never find me because I'm stuck here, and they'll forever wonder what happened- oh god!"

I shut my eyes tightly and put a hand to my stomach as a sharp pain suddenly threatened to tear me apart.

"Hey now."

Tucker's arm was warm and steady as he slipped it around my shoulders. For a moment I almost imagined it was Jack's, and I leaned against him like a wilted flower.

"This isn't the end, alright? We're in this together. No matter how long it takes, we will get you back home."

His quiet, firm assurance seemed to seep into my skin.

"You're right." I said, and I was grateful that my voice didn't waver. "Everything's going to be just fine."

"You're close to your family?"

"Yes."

For a moment the urge to cry reared its ugly head, but a sudden vision of Jack's twinkling eyes made me choke it back.

_"It's okay to have a diva moment, Donny._ _Personally? I have them all the time. But I eventually have to get on with the work, and so do you."_

I squared my shoulders. _Alright. I've had moment, and now it's time to get on with it._

"Where'd Neelix put that data pad?" I forced myself not to lament the loss of Tucker's arm around my shoulders as I got to my feet.

"On the table."

I had just spotted it and was striding across the room when I heard a sound of disgust. I whirled around to find him looking down at his hand.

He'd set his palm right in the middle of my puddle of drool.

"Oh my gosh, I am so- Hold on a second!'"

I dampened a towel in the bathroom sink, and rushed back into the room to shove it into his hands. "I don't usually drool, I swear! Just when I nap, or when I'm really tired I guess, which I was... Oh man I'm sorry, that is so disgusting."

"It's alright," There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he wiped away the offending substance. "Trust me, I've stuck my hands in much worse. Jet fuel and engine grease are much harder to get out of the skin than spit."

"I'm sorry if this was your bed. I couldn't figure out which one was yours, and I was so tired that I just picked the one that was closest…"

"It's fine, really. I don't sleep in bed. In this bed, I mean," He shook his head slightly and stood. "Well, I think it's about time I hit the shower. I'm sure I smell as bad as I feel."

"You don't smell bad to me, but after your long shift I'm sure a shower would be nice. While you do that I think I'll have some coffee and try to get a start on those manuals. I don't want to disappoint the Captain."

"I'm sure you won't." He said.

He released a quick, small smile then quietly gathered his things. It was only after the bathroom door shooshed closed that I released a frustrated groan. My middle brother Johnny would being having a field day if he could see me right now. Here I was, alone in a room with a good looking guy, a perfect opportunity to do a little light flirting, and all I'd managed to accomplish was cry in his arms a few times and provide a puddle of drool for him to stick his hand into.

I guess I really was hopeless.

I forced myself to push all thoughts of Tucker and the drool to the back of my mind. What I needed to do was get studying.

I replicated a cup of coffee and a notebook, then settled down cross legged at the opposite end of my bed from the spit soaked pillow. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to use the data pad. It wasn't nearly as easy to navigate the system as the TV show had pretended, but with a little luck I found the right chapters. The training sections had been highlighted by Neelix, I assumed, and I made a mental note to thank him whenever he came to collect me for dinner.

_Dinner..._

My mouth began to water. The clock in the room said it was almost 2300 hours, but that didn't mean much to me. Time felt like a foreign concept since there was no night or day to indicate its passing. At this point all the clock did was remind me that I hadn't eaten or had any water in days. It was no wonder I was an emotional wreck.

I realized I couldn't wait for Neelix to come get me to eat. I set a goal to studying for an hour, then I'd find my way to the mess hall and eat till I couldn't hold anything more.

That decided, I was able to settle in, and was soon lost in a flurry of technical terms, diagrams, and references to technical data. I would have much preferred listening to music while I read, but I was dimly aware that at some point Tucker had finished his shower and was now lying in the other bed, apparently asleep. I didn't want to wake him, and to be honest I had long become wary of sharing my music with other people. My last attempt had ended with my youngest brother Tim tactfully referring to my musical taste as " _depressing shit_ ".

The thought did, however, raise my interest in one respect. I wasn't sure if this version of the universe had artists like Bon Iver or Billie Holiday, and I made a mental note to explore the music database as soon as I was alone. It would make for an interesting study at least.

* * *

Time seemed to pass slowly, but after forty five minutes I was so hungry I almost couldn't see straight. After re-reading the same paragraph several times and discovering that the manual wasn't referring to ' _Sasquatch valves'_ but rather ' _sequential valves'_ , I realized that any further studying would be useless until I had something to eat. It felt like my stomach was eating itself alive.

I stood with a small groan.

"Hungry?"

I glanced over in surprise. Even as distracted as I was I knew he couldn't have been asleep for more than 40 minutes, yet he looked like he'd had a full night's rest.

"Yeah. I don't think I've eaten anything in days."

"I can show you to the mess hall."

"Thanks, but I don't want to bother you..."

He was already getting to his feet. "You aren't bothering me. It's probably about time for me eat something anyway."

I thought about fighting him about it, but just as quickly decided against the idea. It would be nice to make it to the mess hall without having to ask for directions or getting lost, which might have been a distinct possibility in my terribly hungry state. I allowed him to take the lead so I could fantasize about what I was going to eat.

By the time we made it to the replicator, I had my order down to a science. "Yellow Thai curry on jasmine rice with a side of Cajun fries and a cobb salad. And an ice water. And an iced coffee with almond milk."

To my everlasting delight, my request was granted.

"Interesting choices."

"Variety is the spice of life." I said as I lifted my tray with a grin. My mouth was watering so badly I was forced to swallow. "Man this is dangerous. It's like Cinderella's fairy godmother, but just food."

It wasn't until after we'd sat down and I began to stuff my face that I realized Tucker had replicated something vastly different: a small potato, a plain hamburger, and a small pile of peas.

"That thing can replicate anything you want, and you chose peas?" I mumbled around a mouth full of fries.

"Food is fuel."

"Do you eat the same thing every day?"

"I eat eggs and bacon for breakfast."

I snorted.

He shrugged and took a bit of hamburger. "I guess I just don't have the imagination that you do."

"Have you ever tried curry before?"

He shook his head.

"What about enchiladas?"

"No."

"Chinese food? Mediterranean? Indian? Italian? No? I can't believe this," I shook my head. "We need to broaden your culinary horizons my friend."

He shot me a quick look before looking back down at his plate. "Neelix already tried that once. I'm not sure I'm up for another round of Talaxian stew."

I laughed. "Oh Neelix's taste in food is rather unique, I'll admit, but I was thinking about something a little closer to home. Just normal human food. Here, try this."

I offered him my spoon, which was dripping with buttery yellow sauce. After a moment or two of hesitation he took it, and raised it to his nose. The smell must have piqued his interest, because he slid the spoonful into his mouth and began to chew with slow deliberation. A strange look came into his eye, and after a moment or two he handed the utensil back.

"What did you call this?"

"Yellow Thai curry. There's also red and green curry, but yellow is my favorite. French Fry?"

I smothered a grin as he immediately ate it.

"Did you like it?"

"It's much better than Talaxian stew."

I laughed as the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

"So, what's your family like?" I asked with a grin. "Besides not having in interest in ethnic foods, I mean."

The laughter immediately left his eyes, and his gaze dropped to his plate. "We don't really see each other much."

"Oh."

His eyes were glazed as he pushed his food around on his plate. Eventually, he sighed.

"My mom and baby sister died in an accident when I was twelve, so it was just me and my dad for a while. He was an angry man. I enlisted as soon as I was old enough, and once I got out... well, I haven't seen him since I was eighteen."

"I'm sorry. I guess I forget sometimes that not everyone has a family."

"There's no need to apologize. It's a gift to know you've got people back home who'll miss you when you're gone."

"I'm sure your dad misses you, even if he-"

"He doesn't."

He sent me a small smile, completely devoid of self-pity. It almost broke my heart.

I couldn't imagine not having a support system, not having my mom wrap me in a hug when I get home from a long day at work, letting me sneak a pinch of food before we sit down to eat dinner. Without my parents and brothers, life would be pretty bleak.

"Well I'd miss you if you were gone."

He raised his eyes to mine. I couldn't read what he was thinking, but I hoped he could feel my sincerity. "If we get... I mean _when_ we get back home, I'm sure you'd be welcome to stay with us. None of the boys live at home right now, so we've got plenty of extra rooms."

"Donna, you can't offer me a place in your house," He sounded exasperated. "I'm a stranger. You don't even know me."

"Well you offered me your room, and you don't even know me."

"This is a totally different situation. And I'm sure your parents won't be thrilled to know that a single man offered their daughter a spot in his room after knowing her for a day." He ran his fingers through his hair with agitation.

"They'll understand," I said firmly. "They'll be grateful to know that I had a friend looking out for me."

He didn't look convinced.

"Come on Tuck, just promise me you'll think about it.

"Well..."

"Promise me."

He pushed out a sigh. "Alright, fine."

"Good." I grinned and scooped another spoonful of curry. I was feeling so much better now that I had some food in me. "So Mr. Ford, what can you tell me about the auxiliary systems?"


	6. Dark Blue

_Hello everyone!_

_I know it's been a long time since I've posted with this story, and to be honest, I have no excuse. But I'm back now, and I hope to slowly but surely keep adding on to this story (which I hold near and dear to my heart), until it's satisfactorily finished. Be it ever so slowly, it will be done!_

_And since you've waited so long for this piece, I'll only say this: enjoy chapter 6! And cheers friends!_

* * *

_T-minus one minute before breach in conduit C-745 is irreversible._

"You useless piece of grozit!"

My frustrated mutters mixed with the fierce hissing of the leaking conduit as I scrambled to correctly calibrate my microspanner. The problem was above my head, and it was spraying a fine green mist onto my fogged up face mask, making it extremely difficult to see.

_T-minus 45 seconds before the breach in conduit C-745-_

"I know, I know!"

It was difficult enough to operate the tools on a good day, but add wet, slightly over-large gloves and zero visibility, and it was almost impossible.

When I finally muddled my way to the correct setting on the microspanner, I hastily reached up make the seal. A few tense seconds passed as the hissing gradually lessened, then disappeared completely. Anxiety kept my hand hovering as I listened for the computer's diagnosis.

_Structural integrity in conduit C-745 has been restored to 85%_

_"85%?"_ I managed to remove the helmet and detach the gloves from the suit after some fumbling. I frowned at the foreign piece of technology in my hand.

They didn't exactly give us user manuals for the tools, so I had to learn how to use them on the fly. My plan was to eventually do some research on my data pad, when I had a free day and felt less tired. I hadn't been able to meet either of those criteria yet.

With a sigh I dropped the tool into my bag and perched on the edge of a large pipe. It had been almost three weeks since the last anomaly attack, three weeks since I'd been sucked into space and been rescued by Q, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Since I'd started working in Engineering, one day bled into the next without much differentiation. It was an endless cycle of learning, making mistakes, asking Tucker for help, fixing my mistakes, crying, eating, drinking coffee, and falling into bed after my shift in an exhausted sleep.

And not necessarily in that order.

 _"You'll be_ fine." Janeway had said. _"The computer will isolate most of the problems for you, and Ford will be a call away if you need him."_

Well, it's true that the computer was wonderful at isolating issues, but after the isolation came the fixing. And in order to fix things, I had to know how to use the things that fix the broken things, and if I didn't know how to use the fixing things, I couldn't fix anything.

I pulled my hot mug out of my tool bag and took a sip, forcing myself to swallow around a grimace. The cup was still full from the morning, but now uncomfortably lukewarm, a testament to how busy my day had been. We were down several engineers thanks to an away mission led by Harry and Tom, so the rest of us had to pull double duty until they got back. I'd been jumping from one emergency to the next since I'd clocked in for my shift.

"What happened to you?"

I glanced up at the sudden voice of Tucker Ford. "I didn't have time to shut off the valve before sealing the breach."

"You're green."

I tried to act nonchalant as I swiped at a streak of fluid on my shoulder, but it merely smeared onto my hand, which I then had to clean off with a dirty towel. "Yeah, and it might be radioactive so don't be surprised if you wake up tomorrow and see me climbing on the walls."

He tilted his head. "Was that a reference to Spiderman?"

"Hey, you caught it! How many times does that make now... 5 times, maybe 6?"

"I thought it was closer to 10?"

"Ha! As if."

I grinned at him while he looked bemused. He must not have watched _Clueless,_ growing up. Not a big surprise, really. Tucker only seemed to recognize about 30% of my pop culture references, so I was beginning to think he was either extremely sheltered as a child or I was a humongous nerd. Who knows? Maybe it was both.

"So what are your bets? Will I get super human strength, or lightning quick reflexes? I'm kind of hoping for super human strength, myself. I've always wanted to keep a helicopter from taking off with one arm..."

"I'm going to assume that's another reference."

"Yep."

"Huh. Well, unfortunately for you, it's not toxic. The green is just a dye we put in the system so we can quickly identify leaks."

I threw out my arms. "It works."

He smiled a little, then leaned forward slightly. "The hair is coming in fast."

"Yeah," I run my fingers through my frazzled mop of curly hair. "Doc said it should be back to shoulder length in about two weeks."

"I can't really picture you with long hair." He absently reached out and touched one of my curls, his face thoughtful. Before I could do more than blink in mute surprise his hand had disappeared back in his pocket. "So how's the assignment going?"

"Going?" I was feeling a little off-kilter, what with the ghost of his fingers still brushing my forehead. "Well... I'm soaking wet."

"But you fixed the leak?"

As he leaned forward to examine my work, I hurried to explain. "It's not perfect. I have to figure out if I can get the integrity higher than 85%. I was still trying to calibrate the device when the computer started counting down so I didn't have time to get it right..."

"Let's take a look." He pulled an unfamiliar device out of his pocket and scanned the fix. After a moment it beeped and he grunted. "It's fine. The fix is ugly, but it'll hold."

_Not exactly a rave review..._

I took another sip of coffee to hide my mortification. Tucker was my main point of contact for work sign-offs and approvals, so he was always the first one to see my barely passing work. His honest evaluations were less than encouraging, and I wondered when I would begin to feel good about myself at the end of the work day instead of incredibly depressed.

"Ready for your next assignment?"

"I thought I already had a list..."

"I meant lunch."

"Oh!" A quick glance at my watch revealed it had been six hours since my duty shift began.

We made a quick stop by engineering so I could peel out of my hazmat suit, then made our way to the galley side by side.

A group of crewmen approached us in the hall, and he paused to allow me to take the lead, hand gently touching my elbow to guide me forward before it dropped back to his side.

We hadn't been working together very long, but I was beginning to learn the quirks that made up my new work partner, and fellow ' _victim of a Q's'_ crime. In the week before I joined the duty roster, I rarely saw Tucker except in passing. But once I was thrown into Engineering, his schedule had been aligned with mine in case I needed his help. Which was often.

When we were alone on a job, or back in the room together, he was his most at ease. When we got around any of the crew however, he clammed up, going into high alert even while slipping on a mask of polite disinterest. He was the most relaxed around Janeway, but even then he still kept a wall between them.

I'll admit I'd been spending what little free time I had trying to figure out Tucker Ford rather than doing actual research for my actual job. Not that I'm going to apologize for it. He was a very attractive and interesting study. Besides, I could almost see Johnny giving me two enthusiastic thumbs up for actually trying to get to know the guy.

Not that is was a smart idea to get personally involved with a man who may or may not be real, in a scenario when we may or may not ever make it back to civilization.

But it certainly helped pass the time. And on the off chance we ever did make it back to a normal life... well, I could hope, couldn't I?

"So," Tucker said after the crewmen had passed, and had lengthened his stride to match with mine. "How's the week been?"

"Stressful. I'd forgotten how hard it was to learn a new job. And then there's this extra layer of translating Trek lingo into something that makes sense to my brain. But I've already got some of the curse words down, so that's good start, right?"

The corner of his mouth lifted fractionally.

"Half my problems involve the tools, to be honest with you. I could really use a manual to figure out how those things work."

"The information is in your data pad. I could mark the sections for you if you like."

"Really? That would be great..."

He was already holding out his hand.

"Oh! You don't have to do it now."

"I don't mind."

"Not during lunch hour," I balked. "You've help me out too much already as it is."

"It's what I'm here for."

"I'm pretty sure there's more to your job than showing me how to use tools and find the 'on' button for my tricorder."

"No, I think my primary function on board Voyager is to help you turn on your tricorder."

"Hold on, did you just make a joke?"

"Definitely not."

I released an exaggerated gasp. "And is that sarcasm I hear? What will you do next? Recite poetry?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled this time as he smiled. "We do have a thing called 'a sense of humor' where I come from."

"I was beginning to wonder. Seriously though, sometimes I think you and I come from totally different planets."

"You may be right." He murmured, and sank into a distracted silence.

Another one of his quirks.

There were quite a few crew members inside the galley when we arrived, Tuvok being one of them. After ordering at the replicator, we made sure to pass by his table.

I didn't even need to voice the question before Tuvok answered, without looking up from his book: "Nothing to report yet Miss Winters."

I'd been asking him the same question every day for the last two weeks, even though he'd promised to let us know as soon as he learned anything more. But I figured there was no harm in following up, just in case he'd been too busy to pass on some critical piece of information.

Tucker and I found a table in the corner of the room. He still had that faraway look in his eyes, and I didn't want to bother him, so I contented myself with looking around the room at the rest if the crew. I didn't recognize all of them, but then again, the show had never been very big on highlighting anyone but the bridge crew members. It was nice to see them acting so independent, like they weren't just expendable star ship crewmen meant to melt into the background of a film shot.

I watched a dark skinned, dark haired crewman knock his cup with his elbow and awkwardly catch it before it sloshed off the table.

His counterpart laughed, revealing deep smile lines and perfect teeth. "Ooh, that was a close one!"

"Good thing I'm agile."

"Come on Jessie, we both know you're not..."

I turned my head as a few tables over from me, a girl with a high pony tail started gesturing wildly with her hands. "Sometimes I wish I had some of those weird, long creepy fingers like Kelpiens. I'd be like 'yeah, but they're useful'."

More snippets of conversation floated by as I sat back and closed my eyes.

"Just _so you know, in my mind, I basically count this as water."_

_"For Bastille day I ate escargot, in honor of Marie Antoinette..."_

_"...It's not even that. I'm Jewish!"_

"Are you alright?"

I opened my eyes to catch Tucker watching me intently.

"Yeah, I was just listening, enjoying the sounds of happy people. It's a nice change from the first few days I was here."

He nodded, contemplation deepening the frown lines that were so prominent between his eyebrows. "I hadn't noticed. I guess I don't pay attention to those sorts of things."

"I've always liked being around groups of people, probably because I've got a big family. And considering the strange opportunity I have to listen in on Trek people's conversations..." I gesture around. "They don't sound any different than anyone back home. I don't know why, but I guess I expected them to be talking about strange unknowable things. But they're just... people."

"It's strange for me too. I've never been around so many people with so much loyalty. To the Captain, her ideals, her decisions. It's something I've come to admire about this crew."

I frowned. "I thought you'd feel right at home here. Weren't you in the Navy?"

Something in his eyes flickered, but it passed too quickly for me to dissect it. "I suppose. But sometimes you get a bad hand, and your commanding offer isn't what they should be. The crew is only as good as their Captain, and the Captain only as good as the crew. They both have to be of the same mind, have the same ideals. Otherwise you're nothing more than a powerful, government backed crime organization."

The bitterness in his voice spoke of personal experience. Yet my youngest brother was in the military, and I'd never once heard him talk about having the same experience. Maybe it was an isolated event? I had so many burning questions, but the darkness in his expression was enough to keep me from prodding any further. Instead, I logged this new piece of information away for future reference. Just one more piece to add to the intricate, Tucker-shaped jigsaw puzzle I was fitting together in my mind.

"You should eat. Who knows when that next anomaly will hit."

I accepted his abrupt change in conversation, mostly because I could tell he was getting agitated thinking about it.

As I focused back on my plate, he demanded my data pad and set to work highlighting the important sections. I received it back from him with a murmur of thanks, and as I scanned the sections, I realized that the format of the notes looked familiar. Little notes had been written on the side of some of the sections, different colors indicating different ideas. It was almost identical to how the auxiliary systems had been marked, though those sections had been so much larger than the ones he'd just highlighted for me.

"Did you do make all those notes on my pad for the auxiliary systems too?"

He nodded. "I know there were a lot of extra info in there. I'm sorry if it was too much..."

I was already shaking my head. "No! Wow I... I can't even begin to tell you how helpful those were for me. I wouldn't have had a clue how to navigate the system if it wasn't for your help!"

"It's not a big deal..."

"It's a very big deal to me!" I gripped his arm, forcing him to look me in the eye. "I'm serious! Thanks. I won't forget this."

We locked eyes, and for a moment he looked confused. He opened his mouth to say something, but was saved an answer by the appearance of Chakotay, who was striding purposefully towards our table. His eyes flickered to my grip on Tucker's arm, and Tucker hastily withdrew it from beneath my hand.

Chakotay kindly didn't comment, although I thought I detected a stray hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Mr. Ford, the Captain would like to speak to you about a new assignment."

Tucker nodded, but I could see a muscle in his cheek twitch as he clenched his jaw. If he was about to get a new assignment, then that meant...

"According to your report's, Donna's doing excellent work, and the Captain believes she's ready to begin some solo assignments under B'Elanna's watchful eye. Don't worry, she won't bite."

This last part was undoubtedly meant for me, since my heart had leapt into my chest at the very thought that I'd have to begin reporting my ugly work to a stressed out half Klingon with anger issues.

"In fact, it was B'Elanna herself who was impressed by how quickly you seemed to be coming along."

"Thank you Cha- I mean sir," I reddened. I still wasn't used to referring to the senior crew by their designated ranks. "I'll do my best to live up to her expectations."

His fatherly smile lessened that hot knot of anxiety in my chest, though just a little. "I'm sure you will. Now if you would follow me Mr. Ford."

Without a glance my direction, Tucker stood with his tray, and exited the galley, side by side with Chakotay.

Anxiety settled back in, and I fought to control it. I glanced down at the pad in my hand and forced myself not to think too hard about the future. I hadn't realized just how much I'd come to rely on Tucker's silent presence, his advice, conversation, and well... I guess I had started relying on him for everything.

I stared at the galley door in confusion. So Tucker had been sending glowing reviews of my work to B'Elanna and the Captain? That was news to me, since, according to his notes to me, there was always something I could be doing better. But if he truly did send those reviews... then I guess I'd have to believe he was telling the truth. He didn't seem the sort to exaggerate talent in order to make anyone feel better about themselves.

This put me in a strange situation, however. The list of people I didn't want to let down was growing at an alarming rate. First the Captain, then B'Elanna, now Tucker, and even Q, even though I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to live up to his insanely confusing expectations.

I took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly.

These last few weeks had been nice, knowing I had someone nearby to lean on. Now it looked like I truly would be on my own, which meant I needed to work even harder to stay on top of things. It was time to put on my game face, and do exactly what I did at my first job. Fake it till I make it. It worked for me then, so why not now?

I stood up with my tray, no longer seeing anyone else in the room, my mind already forming the skeleton of a plan.

I could do this. I had to. For all the people who were relying on me.

And for myself.


	7. Violet and Blue

"Looks like everything is in order. Good work Donna," B'Elanna handed me back the data pad with a smirk. "I'm glad Mr. Ford wasn't exaggerating your talents after all. One thing I didn't need was another dead weight on my crew."

"Thanks."

I was rather proud of my answer. Anyone listening would have been fooled by my outward self-possession, but inside I was practically crying for joy, silently congratulating myself on not being considered a dead weight. Though I was truly sorry for the poor sod B'Elanna Torres considered a dead weight. It wasn't a position to be relished, that's for sure.

She cocked her head towards the door. "Come on, The Captain wants to see you."

I must have made a face because she laughed as we headed out. "You don't have to look so scared. She just wants to check in with you, have some lunch, and give you updates on our situation."

"Ah, right."

I side-eyed her as we walked side by side. I'd spent the last week and a half in constant fear of my new superior, unsure if the B'Elanna I knew from the show would turn out to be as tough of a boss as she'd seemed. Turns out she was. She reminded me of my dad, actually: hard nosed, snappish, with abnormally high expectations of people. But they were both solid gold with a twinkle in their eye, ready to lift up their crew with encouragement or a good-natured ribbing.

Though you really had to have tough skin around a half-Klingon. Their good-natured ribbing had the uncanny ability to hit you right in the self-conscious bone.

"So Donna, I understand you know quite a bit about me and the rest of the crew, but all I know about you is that you're a time-traveler from the past with a knack for engineering."

"Yeah, well I can't really take responsibility for that. My dad and brothers made sure I knew my way around an engine before I was ten, so I was just lucky enough to spend a lot of time around people who knew what they were doing."

I knew how flippant I sounded the moment she frowned.

"I don't know, it seems to me that you have a natural talent. I wouldn't be so quick to disregard it just because you had some help from people with more experience than you."

"I guess so."

"Look, you can only become great by having great mentors, but your gifts are yours. And while you may have had some help, you also put in a lot of hard work and made the progress. I mean look what you've accomplished on Voyager! I think should consider giving yourself some credit where credit is due."

I ducked my head. I knew what she was saying was true. I'd told myself the same things over and over again over since I was sixteen: _you deserve this position, you worked hard to get here, you're a good mechanic._

But that hadn't changed the fact that I still felt like an impostor. There were moments when I was overwhelmed with guilt, especially when my father was hiring and had to turn away a few good candidates for a coveted position at the shop. Despite knowing I was a good mechanic, deep down I felt as if I hadn't earned the right to be there. After all, I was the owner's daughter and he wouldn't fire me unless I made a very serious and stupid mistake (which was something I did everything in my power to avoid).

I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to have suffered in order to be worthy of the position. A few hard knocks? A long career full of struggling with the patriarchy? In truth, I'd met very few bad men during my time as a mechanic. Most of them were excited to see a girl in a field they themselves were proud to be a part of. Sure there were a few idiots (there always were), but they were few and far between.

Which again begged the question: _At what point will I feel worthy of my position? Who exactly am I waiting on for validation?_

"Hello Donna, lieutenant Torres." Lyssa Campbell, the transport chief who I was just beginning to get to know, joined us as we passed the mess.

"Are you guys coming to Neelix's movie night tonight?"

I put up both thumbs. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Do you know what's playing?"

B'Elanna sighed. "Well the away team just docked about an hour ago, and knowing Tom, he'll try to convince us all to watch Captain Proton."

My gasp was so loud that the two crew members looked startled. I'd been so busy in engineering that I'd forgotten about the away team's return from Bjorn.

Now that it was brought back to my attention, I was reminded of just how much I'd been missing Tucker's calm presence on board ship. He'd accidentally become my anchor to reality, and since he'd been gone I'd felt uneasy. Kind of like the first day I'd worked at my father's shop unsupervised, afraid that without someone I trusted looking over my shoulder disaster was sure to strike.

Or in this case, a disaster specifically named Q.

No serious disasters had occurred since he'd been gone, at least not one of the Q variety, but I was still relieved that I would have Tucker back soon. As a roommate, of course, not in a possessive kind of way. He wasn't exactly mine, as the chattering of the crew reminded me daily. I wasn't the only fan of Mr. Tucker Ford on board the Starship Voyager.

Although no one else could claim to share the same experiences that he and I had, like being sucked into a micro-wormhole through the force of an explosion and all that.

Just saying.

"I didn't realize you were such a Captain Proton enthusiast." Lyssa said at last with some surprise.

"Oh I like Captain Proton well enough. I'm actually just glad the away team's back, I've really missed those guys. And Captain Proton wouldn't be the same without Tom."

I reddened as the corner of B'Elanna's mouth quirked upward. I got the distinct impression that she understood that my excitement was only for one crew mate in particular. You know, the one I oh-so-casually mentioned at least a hundred times a day.

"I'm sure Tom will be happy to know that you missed him while he was gone."

My laugh sounded like a strangled sneezing fit.

"Aha! I'd recognize that snort anywhere." From seemingly nowhere in particular, Tom appeared alongside our rapidly growing entourage.

He grinned at each of us in turn. "Campbell, Torres, Donna. And how are my favorite ladies on board doing today?"

"We were doing just fine, thanks." B'Elanna shot him an irritated glance.

Her ire didn't seem to deter Tom one bit. "What did I do now? All I said was hello!"

"And you insulted my friend in the process." She answered icily.

"Insulted? How? Because I said she snorted? Come on B'Elanna, I'm sure Donna realizes by now that I don't mean any harm when I tease her. Right Donna?"

As I stammered out some kind of a reply, Lyssa wisely excused herself and hurried away. Thankfully I wasn't actually required for a response, and I gratefully dropped a little behind as Tom attempted to get back into his muse's good graces. Even as they bickered, I could tell that B'Elanna wasn't really that mad at Tom. In fact, her eyes were bright and she seemed rather more cutting than usual, a big indicator that she was happy to see him.

I sighed. The two bridge officers were just in the beginnings of their rocky romantic relationship, and while their miscommunications usually drove me up the wall, I was content with the knowledge that they would work it all out before the end.

"At it again, huh?"

Harry materialized at my side so suddenly that I jumped, though I'm not sure why I was surprised to see him. Wherever Tom was, Harry was never far away.

"Like always. When do they think they're actually going to admit that they're madly in love?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but between you and me, Tom would ask her to marry him in a second if he thought she'd agree to it."

"That, I believe."

Even in a fight, Tom had a certain tenderness and affection in his eyes when he looked at B'Elanna.

"So, how is work going in engineering? Has B'Elanna scared you off Voyager yet?"

"Not yet. I actually like working for her, she really keeps me motivated to do my best work. And I mean come on, this is B'Elanna Torres were talking about here! I'd never want to disappoint her."

"I know what you mean. I feel that way about the Captain."

"So do I. I'm actually going to see her right now. She apparently has some updates for me about me and Tucker's situation."

"That's great news! But I hope you aren't too anxious to leave us."

"No! Not at all. Well, not anxious," I stared thoughtfully out at planet we'd been orbiting for the last week or so, a solid yellow mass intersected with glowing blue. "I've loved being here with you guys, working in engineering, eating Neelix's Talaxian Stew, looking out my window to this view every day. But I would eventually like to make it back to my universe."

"I'm sorry, that was silly of me. Of course! I didn't mean to suggest that you would love it here better than home. Everyone on Voyager has been working hard to get back to Earth, even though we have the honor of becoming the first humans to ever explore the Delta quadrant. I guess I just meant that I, for one, am glad to have you on board. Not that I'm the only one! It's been great to have an extra pair of hands for repairs, to have someone around who's friendly and seems to know what they're doing, and is willing to help us even though it's not their problem..."

I waved his stammering away. "Thanks, but I'm actually in your debt, you know? You and the doc saved me, and the Captain's taken me in as one of the crew, so helping out is the least I can do. It's all hands on deck, as Chakotay likes to say."

When I turned to smile at him, he started to blush. That was when I was struck with a sudden revelation that I might have accidentally become another one of Harry Kim's crushes.

I looked away quickly and bit my lip. Flattering though it was, it was a relief to know that his infatuation would probably be short lived. He ran through crushes faster than the Original Series ran through Red Shirts.

And besides, he wasn't really my type. My type was taller, darker, with soft black curls and startlingly magnetic eyes I could really get lost inside…

"Tucker!"

At Tom's cheerful hail I whirled. At first I didn't recognize the outlandish figure who'd materialized out of the hall behind us, but then Tucker looked up at the sound of his name and my mouth dropped open.

He was dressed in a long belted tunic fastened up to the neck, the fabric an atrocious paisley that had obviously been a curtain from the early 1990s, his shoes a strange kind of sock boot. His facial hair had grown into a substantial beard during the short time he'd been away, which gave him a softer, more contemplative countenance.

He was like the younger version of some ancient philosopher. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle...

 _More like Arist-_ hot _-le, am I right?_

I cringed, inwardly. Or maybe outwardly too, because Tucker immediately zeroed in on me. The frown between his eyebrows eased, but beyond that his expression didn't alter from its previous inscrutable mask.

"Why are you still in those digs?" Tom called out. "We got back to the ship almost an hour ago."

"I was working on my report."

"And you didn't bother to change first? You're even more of a stickler than Seven. But to each his own, right?"

"Tom..."

Tom chose to ignore Harry's warning tone and B'Elanna's frown of disapproval. In fact, he seemed to hardly notice them at all as he nudged me on the shoulder. "Me and your friend here got to talking about ships while down on Bjorn, and he finally started showing some interest in the Delta Flyer. I know you wouldn't think it to look at him, but this guy can actually hold a pretty decent conversation when he wants to."

B'Elanna huffed. "Of course she knows that Tom. They're roommates, remember? And you might be the only one on board who didn't know that about Mr. Ford."

Harry grinned. "Probably because he never stops talking long enough to hear what anybody else has to say."

While the two of them snickered, Tom used the opportunity to ignore them again. His eyes shone as he appealed to the man in question. "If you're still interested, we could use the rest of our free time today for a few basic lessons in the Flyer."

Tucker rubbed his beard as he contemplated the question, and the floor. His face twitched, almost as if he was going through some kind of strange, existential crisis over a simple yes or no answer.

After what felt like an unnecessarily long time, he looked up and nodded. "I can meet you in the hangar in half an hour."

"Sounds like a plan! And you know what this means Harry. We still have time for me to whip your hide in a game of kadis-kot."

"In your dreams."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes as Tom draped his arm around Harry's neck and dragged him away. She glanced at Tucker. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that for two weeks."

He shrugged. "It wasn't so bad. Underneath it all, Tom's a good man with a big heart."

"Yeah, if only his big heart didn't come with such a big mouth."

He chuckled, and my heart pounded wildly in my chest. Seeing him smile in his odd attire was jarring, and I suddenly didn't know what to do with my face, my legs, my hands...

After some awkward, shuffling seconds I settled for crossing my arms and slumping against the wall. It was better than standing stiffly with my butt clenched like I was preparing for a particularly stressful round of dodgeball.

"I was surprised to hear that you guys were able to find everything we needed without any trouble. It's usually a fiasco trying to trade anything with the species in the Delta quadrant. They're a suspicious bunch around here."

"Yes. It seems like things are finally starting to go our way." As he said this his eyes flicked to mine and held for a few heartbeats.

My mouth went incredibly dry.

"Well I'm glad your back safe," B'Elanna replied. "I wish we could stay and chat a little longer, but we're late for a meeting with the Captain."

"Of course, thank you lieutenant. Donna."

"Are you- do you think you'll make it to the movie night tonight?" I managed to blurt out before he was too far away. "It'll be in the mess at 1600, if you're interested."

He nodded once, slowly, before backing away. "Okay."

"Okay."

My brain was a confusing muddle of indescribable emotions that worked their way onto my face in the form of an insane smile, and B'Elanna kindly allowed me to suffer my madness in silence as we made our way to the Captain's quarters. We were granted admittance immediately upon our arrival, and as soon as I stepped through the door all thoughts of Tucker and movie night were temporarily banished from my mind.

The Captain was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, a data pad in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other. Chakotay was reading his own data pad with one arm draped across the back of the sofa, close enough to her head that he could caress her hair, if he was in the mood for it.

Though the two were clearly doing work, they were the perfect picture of contentment.

Several peaceful seconds passed where they didn't notice our arrival. That is until B'Elanna cleared her throat.

"Captain."

And just like that the magic was broken. The two superior officers rose quickly to greet us.

"B'Elanna, Donna, good to see you."

We exchanged the usual pleasantries before Janeway ushered us into the dining area.

"And how are you enjoying engineering?" Chakotay asked me as we settled at the table.

"Oh I love working in the warp room. I've learned so much in the last few days I think my head might explode, but B'Elanna's an amazing teacher so its not as stressful as I thought it would be."

His eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I'm glad you two have hit it off so well."

"Me too." B'Elanna grinned, and I couldn't do much else besides return the gesture.

Janeway leaned forward, her coffee cup still firmly clasped in one hand. "So Donna, I hope you don't mind that we're having this talk over lunch. With the away team's return, a few extra tasks have been added to my already extensive to-do list so I'm afraid I've had to consolidate my time."

"If it's any consolation," Chakotay said, "I understand Neelix has cooked up something special for the occasion."

He was right. Neelix's ' _something special_ ' was unnaturally colored, interestingly textured, and utterly unidentifiable. I kept a close eye on the faces around the table as they took their first bites, and only when no one else immediately spit their food back out did I take a modest bite of my own.

Whatever it was, it was good. I took another bite and decided it was best not to be curious about our lunch's origins. I was barely going onto my third forkful when the Captain turned the conversation to business.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Tuvok hasn't been able to find any solutions to our mutual problem, but he hasn't given up yet. He says he has a few theory he'd like to explore a little more in depth, and so asked the away team to talk to the locals on Bjorn, to see if they knew anyone who could give him the information he needed. They couldn't, but they were able to inform us that we're only a few light years away from the largest library in the Delta quadrant."

Chakotay took up the narrative. "It's located on a satellite under high security, protected by a force field coming from a nearby moon. Apparently the locals consider the place to be a sacred temple, and guard the information on the satellite as if it were full of holy relics. We've already been in contact with the proper authorities and were granted access, with one stipulation: that yourself and Mr. Ford join the landing party."

"Why us?" I asked around a rubbery piece of something or other.

"It came out that the information we were looking for had to do with time travel, and it appears that the librarians are particularly keen to meet a pair of real life time travelers. In fact, I'm not so sure we would have been granted access if it weren't for you and Mr. Ford's unique situation."

"Do you think you'd be up for it?" Janeway asked intently.

"Absolutely!"

"Then it's settled. We still have to speak to Mr. Ford, but I don't believe he'll have any objections," she set her hand gently on Chakotay's shoulder. "Would you please let the proper authorities know that we'll be arriving in two days, and that we will be bringing along our time traveling friends, as per their request."

"Aye Captain." He answered with a smile.

After lunch had concluded, I found myself bouncing as I traversed the unusually quiet halls to get back to engineering.

I hadn't thought that my life could get any more interesting than it already was, but add in ' _became a case study for aliens so that we could look at their library_ ' and somehow I felt a little more important.

I started to whistle as I approached a crossroads in the hall. It turned into a small shriek as Lyssa suddenly turned the corner in front of me, and we almost collided.

It took me a moment of breathless laughter before I could find my voice. "Holy moly Lyssa, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

She crossed her arms. "I'll give you a lot more than that if you don't tell me exactly what that conniving, backstabbing boyfriend of mine has been up to."

* * *

_And here it is folks! Another chapter in the ever evolving adventure of Donna, Tucker, and the lovely Voyager crew. Even after several frustrating rewrites of this chapter, I'm excited about the direction it ended up taking, and all the possible shenanigans that I can now put (torture) my characters through._ _Thank you so much for your patience over these long hiatuses, and I hope you'll find as much enjoyment in my story's twists and turns as I do writing them :)_

_Cheers friends!_


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